USER CONTACT INFORMATION PRIVACY PROTECTION IN COMPUTER NETWORKS

摘要

A method and a device are disclosed including software components that are executed on a computing device to enable finding, adding, and sending messages to users within a social network. In various embodiments, a requesting user may request finding, adding, and/or sending messages to one or more other users in a social network, the other users presently being on one or more contact lists associated with the requesting user. The requesting user's contact list may be used to verify that he knows the other users and respond to the requesting user's request based on the requesting user's own contact list, without supplying additional information from the other users. In various embodiments, the requesting user's contact list may be partitioned into two sections, one section including the other users who are also in the social network and the other including the other users who are not in the social network.

主权项

1. A contact management communication system comprising:
a contact management software module that when executed on a computing device causes the computing device to:
import a user's original phonebook;find entries in the original phonebook, which are associated with members of a Friends Social Network (FSN); andreturn a partitioned FSN contact list including two sub-lists, wherein a first sub-list includes entries that are associated with members of the FSN, and a second sub-list that includes entries not associated with members of the FSN.