Patent ID: 9384488
Filing Date: 2016-07-05
CPC Classification: G06Q

Claim Text:
1. A method of credentialing network-based sources of information, commentary, and opinion, the method comprising: receiving a request for recognition, the request received by a credential clearinghouse (CCH) from at least one credential-granting organization (CGO), and, in response to the request for recognition, granting recognition to the CGO if the CGO is determined by the CCH to satisfy a predetermined standard of credibility; after the CGO is granted recognition, receiving, from a user entity, a request for a credential granted by the CGO and granting the credential if the user entity is determined to satisfy a predetermined set of credentialing benchmarks and wherein the granted credential confirms an underlying relationship between the CGO and the user entity, without disclosing an identity of the user entity; and wherein, after granting the credential, the credential is attached to an object posted on a publicly-accessible data communications network site, the object comprising at least one among information content, commentary, and opinion, the credential including a first indicator indicating the grant of the credential to the user entity and indicating that the user entity is an author of the at least one of information content, commentary, or opinion, without disclosing an identity of the user entity, and the credential including a second indicator indicating whether the object has been altered since being posted at the publicly-accessible site and wherein the credential discloses that the user entity satisfied the predetermined set of credentialing benchmarks while maintaining personal anonymity of the user entity.