Patent ID: 9727886
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: G06Q,H04L

Claim:
1. A computer implemented method comprising: receiving, from a device at a first time, first interactions with a social networking system while the device is logged into a first user account of the social networking system; storing, by the social networking system, the first interactions in association with the first user account for the first user with a device identifier identifying the device; receiving, from the device at a second time, second interactions with the social networking system while the device is logged into a second user account, the first user account corresponding to a first user and the second user account corresponding to a second user; storing, by the social networking system, the second interactions in association with the second user account for the second user with the device identifier identifying the device; comparing, by at least one processor of the social networking system, the device identifier of the stored first interactions of the first user account to the device identifier of the stored second interactions of the second user account; determining that the first user of the first user account and the second user of the second user account both used the device to interact with the social networking system based at least in part on the device identifier; responsive to determining that the first user and the second user used the device, creating an association between the first user account and the second user account, the association indicating a likelihood that the first user and the second user have interacted in the real world; and storing, in a database of the social networking system, the association between the first user account and the second user account.