Methods and apparatus for reliable and privacy protecting identification of parties' mutual friends and common interests

摘要

Systems and techniques for authenticating joint friends of users of wireless devices. An authenticating authority delivers a token to a wireless device for each party identified as a friend of a user of the wireless device, such as through relationships in an online social network. Two wireless devices can use information relating to the tokens to determine information relating to joint friends of the users of the devices, such as the identities of joint friends or simply the numbers of joint friends. Tokens can be further refined to allow for analysis that provides information relating to the degree of intimacy of the relationship between a user and a party identified as a friend.

主权项

1. An apparatus comprising:
memory storing a program of instructions; at least one processor; wherein the memory storing the program of instructions is configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least:
receive at least one token from an authenticating authority, wherein the at least one token authenticates a party as a friend of a user of the apparatus, wherein the token is encrypted with a key chosen from among a plurality of keys, and wherein the key used for encryption is selected based on the degree of closeness of a relationship between the user of the apparatus and the party authenticated as a friend of the user of the apparatus;communicate with a wireless communication device of another user possessing at least one token authenticating at least one party as a friend of the user of the wireless communication device; andanalyze information received in the communication to evaluate the closeness of the relationship between the user of the apparatus and the user of the wireless communication device based on the number of joint friends between the user of the apparatus and the user of the wireless communication device and the closeness of the relationships of the joint friends to the user of the apparatus and to the user of the wireless communication device, wherein analysis of the information received in the communication comprises determining the degree of closeness of the relationship indicated by selection of the key used for encryption.