People Directory with Social Privacy and Contact Association Features

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving from an initiating user a request for information of a target user, accessing information associated with the initiating user comprising one or more attributes, determining whether the initiating user is permitted to access information related to the target user based on privacy settings of the target user, wherein the privacy settings require the initiating user attributes to satisfy one or more social, spatiotemporal, geographic, or temporal conditions, and blocking the initiating user from accessing information of the target user in response to determining that the initiating user does not fulfill the requirements of the privacy settings of the target user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising, by one or more computing devices:
 receiving from an initiating user a request for information of a target user;   accessing user information associated with the initiating user, wherein the user information specifies one or more attributes of the initiating user;   determining whether the initiating user is permitted to access information related to the target user based on privacy settings of the target user, wherein the privacy settings require the initiating user have one or more attributes that satisfy one or more social, spatiotemporal, geographic, or temporal conditions defined by the privacy settings; and   blocking the initiating user from accessing information related to the target user in response to determining that the initiating user does not fulfill the requirement of the privacy settings of the target user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 accessing a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each edge separating two nodes being one degree of separation between the nodes, wherein:
 the initiating user corresponds to a first node of the plurality of nodes, and 
 the target user corresponds to a second node of the plurality of nodes, and 
   wherein the privacy settings of the target user further require the initiating user to be within a predetermined degree of separation in the social graph from the target user.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the predetermined degree of separation is one. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving from the target user conditions for the privacy settings of the target user.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the privacy settings of the target user specifically identifies the initiating user as being blocked from accessing information of the target user. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining location information associated with the initiating user,   and wherein the privacy settings require the initiating user and the target user having been within a predetermined distance from each other based on previous-location information associated with the initiating user and previous-location information associated with the target user during a past time period within a predetermined window of time.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein determining whether the initiating user is permitted to access information related to the target user comprises:
 comparing the location information associated with the initiating user with a current location of the target user, wherein the location information associated with the initiating user comprises a current location of the initiating user, and wherein the current location of the target user is greater than the predetermined distance from the current location of the initiating user.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the location information associated with the initiating user comprises a current location of the initiating user. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the predetermined window of time and the predetermined distance require to the initiating and target user to have simultaneously been associated with the same institution. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the predetermined window of time and the predetermined distance require the initiating and target user to have simultaneously lived in the same city. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining whether the target user is permitted to access information related to the initiating user based on privacy settings of the initiating user; and   providing the target user with information related to the initiating user in response to determining that the target user fulfils the requirements of the privacy settings of the initiating user.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein blocking the initiating user from accessing information related to the target user comprises:
 providing substitute information to the initiating user consistent with the privacy settings of the target user and omitting the requested information of the target user.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein blocking the initiating user from accessing information related to the target user comprises:
 sending a generic message to the initiating user omitting the requested information of the target user.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 in response to determining that the initiating user does not fulfill the requirement, providing the initiating user an indication that the target user is not found.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining that the initiating user is permitted to access information related to the target user comprises:
 comparing one or more attributes of the initiating user and target user.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more attributes of the initiating user comprise one or more of:
 a degree of separation in a social graph between the initiating user and the target user,   a location associated with the initiating user,   a group associated with the initiating user,   an affiliation associated with the initiating user, or   an interest associated with the initiating user.   
     
     
         17 . One or more computer-readable non-transitory media embodying software that is configured when executed to:
 receive from an initiating user a request for information of a target user;   access user information associated with the initiating user, wherein the user information specifies one or more attributes of the initiating user;   determine whether the initiating user is permitted to access information related to the target user based on privacy settings of the target user, wherein the privacy settings require the initiating user have one or more attributes that satisfy one or more social, spatiotemporal, geographic, or temporal conditions defined by the privacy settings; and   block the initiating user from accessing information related to the target user in response to determining that the initiating user does not fulfill the requirement of the privacy settings of the target user.   
     
     
         18 . The media of  claim 17 , wherein the software is further operable when executed to:
 access a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each edge separating two nodes being one degree of separation between the nodes, wherein:
 the initiating user corresponds to a first node of the plurality of nodes, and 
 the target user corresponds to a second node of the plurality of nodes, and 
   wherein the privacy settings of the target user further require the initiating user to be within a predetermined degree of separation in the social graph from the target user.   
     
     
         19 . A system comprising: one or more processors; and a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to:
 receive from an initiating user a request for information of a target user;   access user information associated with the initiating user, wherein the user information specifies one or more attributes of the initiating user;   determine whether the initiating user is permitted to access information related to the target user based on privacy settings of the target user, wherein the privacy settings require the initiating user have one or more attributes that satisfy one or more social, spatiotemporal, geographic, or temporal conditions defined by the privacy settings; and   block the initiating user from accessing information related to the target user in response to determining that the initiating user does not fulfill the requirement of the privacy settings of the target user.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to:
 access a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each edge separating two nodes being one degree of separation between the nodes, wherein:
 the initiating user corresponds to a first node of the plurality of nodes, and 
 the target user corresponds to a second node of the plurality of nodes, and 
   wherein the privacy settings of the target user further require the initiation user to be within a predetermined degree of separation in the social graph from the target user.