Patent Publication Number: US-2010122347-A1

Title: Authenticity ratings based at least in part upon input from a community of raters

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to the field of identity authentication, more particularly to calculating an authenticity rating for a user based on provided authenticity data. 
     In modern communication, it is common to interact with other users over the internet via instant messaging, social networks, IP (internet protocol) telephony, and many other similar communication services. In many of these instances, we prefer to interact only with people whom we know or feel are presenting themselves honestly. Currently, users can easily create accounts to use these services using false information. Also, in some instances it can be easy for a user to exploit a security flaw to gain access to another user&#39;s account. People who falsely represent themselves can be using these services for malicious purposes. Currently, it is the user&#39;s responsibility to determine if a user is representing their identity honestly. At present, no real identify verification policies or techniques exist that permit users to gauge an accuracy of another user&#39;s representation of himself or herself. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a system for calculating an authenticity rating for a user based on provided authenticity data in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a set of user interfaces associated with an authenticity rating in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart of a method for calculating authenticity ratings in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements disclosed herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The disclosure teaches calculating an authenticity rating for an on-line entity (e.g., user) based on provided authenticity data. This authentication rating can be presented to other users before and during interactions to permit users to gauge the likelihood that another user has properly represented himself or herself. The authentication data upon which an authenticity rating is based can come from a set of users who have interacted with a rated user, from a rated user himself/herself, and/or from one or more authority sources. For example, after an interaction, a user can provide a rating reflecting whether they believe the person with whom they just interacted is authentic. These ratings can be gathered and statistically processed to form a community established authenticity rating. A user can self-verify by presenting additional verifiable information, such as zip code, social security number, birthplace, mother&#39;s maiden name, a biometric input, and the like. Correct self verification data determined by comparisons against a trusted data source can improve that user&#39;s authenticity rating. Further, authority sources, such as utility companies, banks, internet service providers, and the like, which possess some knowledge of a person&#39;s residence, communication origination, and/or identity can be used to confirm/refute user provided identification information to affect a user&#39;s authenticity rating. 
     As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer usable program code embodied in the medium. 
     Any combination of one or more computer usable or computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer usable or computer readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), an optical storage device, a transmission media such as those supporting the Internet or an intranet, or a magnetic storage device. Note that the computer usable or computer readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, for instance, via optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory. In the context of this document, a computer usable or computer readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer usable medium may include a propagated data signal with the computer usable program code embodied therewith, either in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. The computer usable program code may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc. 
     Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). 
     The present invention is described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a system  100  for calculating an authenticity rating for a user based on provided authenticity data in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements disclosed herein. In system  100 , various users  105 ,  115  can communicate with each other over network  150  using computing devices  110 ,  122 . The communications can be facilitated by a communication server  130 . For each user  105 ,  115  an authenticity engine  134  can calculate an authentication rating  118 , which is presented to other users  105 ,  115 . The authentication rating  118  can indicate a likelihood of whether the user associated with the rating  118  has provided accurate identification information, which is recorded in user profile  142 . That is, the authentication rating  118  can be an indication of whether a user is really who he/she professes to be. 
     The calculated rating  118  can be based at least in part upon input provided by other users of a community to which the rated user belongs. For example and as shown in system  100 , user  105  can use authenticity rating interface  114  to input an authentication rating  118  for another user  115 . The rating  118  can represent an option by user  105  as to whether user profile  142  information for user  115  is accurate. Additional comments  119  and other information can be provided as part of the rating process. The information input by user  105  via interface  114  can be stored as authenticity data  144  in data store  140 . 
     In one embodiment, interface  114  can be integrated with a communication application (associated with communication server  130  and communication engine  132 ), which permits user-to-user interactions. These user-to-user interactions can occur via interfaces of communication client  112  and communication client  122 , which are able to interact with communication server  130 . The communication application can, for example, be a social networking application, an IM application, an email application, an electronic gaming application, and the like. 
     In another embodiment, interface  114  can be associated with a rating application and/or service, which is independent of any specific communication application. When authentication ratings are independent of a communication application, the authentication rating data can be shared among multiple different communication applications. Specifics shown in system  100  (which illustrates an implementation where authenticity engine  134  is integrated with a communication server engine  132 ) can be modified in embodiments where authentication independence is desirable. For example, a separate authentication server (not shown in system  100 ) can be communicatively linked to network  150 , where the authentication server includes authentication engine  134  and has access to data store  140 . Further, the computing devices  110 ,  120  used by users  105 ,  115  need not include compatible communication clients  112 ,  122  as inter-user communication is not required for viewing and/or submitting authentication rating data, especially in embodiments where authentication ratings are independent of communication applications. 
     In one embodiment, a set of factors other than a community provided rating  118  can affect an authentication rating. One of these factions can be based upon verifiable information provided by a user to improve their own authenticity rating. For example, a user can input their zip code, a driver&#39;s license number, a high school, biometric input, and the like. This information can be verified from a trusted source. In one embodiment, the trusted source can be any data source which the user providing the information is unable to edit. A set of identity authorities  160  can exist with manage a repository  162  of identity data  164 , which can be compared against data of a user profile  142 . 
     As used herein, computing devices  110  and  120  can be any device that can allow remotely located users  105 ,  115  to interact and to provide and view authenticity rating information. For example, computing devices  110  and  120  can include, but are not limited to, a desktop computer, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a gaming console, and the like. 
     Communication clients  112  and  122  can be software applications facilitating communication between users  105 ,  115 . The communications can be peer-to-peer communications or can be facilitated by communication server  130 . Clients  112 ,  122  can be stand-alone applications or can be Web applications rendered in a browser. Clients  112 ,  122  can include, but are not limited to, an e-mail client, a text exchange client, an instant messaging client, a voice over internet protocol (VOIP) client, a social networking client, a contact management client, and the like. 
     Communication server  130  can be a set of one or more computing device, which hosts communication engine  132 . Communication server can be implemented as a stand-alone physical server, a cluster of physical servers, a virtual server, and the like. 
     Communication engine  132  can facilitate communications, real-time or otherwise, between users over network  150 . A communication service provided by engine  132  can be optionally incorporated into a different service, such as a social networking service. 
     Authenticity engine  134  can use authenticity data  144  and user profiles  142  to determine an authenticity rating for a user. User profile  142  can contain the identity data for a user, which may be provided by that user or some other unverified source. Authenticity data  144  can contain measurable forms of data can be unique and identifiable for a user. Authentication engine  134  can include an identity verification engine  136 . Identity verification engine  136  can provide data regarding whether or not authenticity data is valid. 
     Identity authorities  160  can be trusted authorities which can host identity data  164 . These institutions can store private secure data for their users as identity data  164 . Such institutions can include utility providers (i.e. phone service, electricity, internet service), a bank or credit bureau, a government authority, a security provider (i.e. has biometric data for fingerprint and visual identification), and the like. Each of these institutions can store unique and identifiable data for users. This data can be stored as identity data  164 . In one embodiment, a set of identity authority modules  138  may be required to interact with one or more of the identity authorities  160 . These modules  138  can provide any security credentials needed to access the identity data  164 . The modules  138  can also provide data reconciliation rules for comparing data  142 ,  164  stored in different formats. 
     Data stores  140  and  162  can be physically implemented within any type of hardware including, but not limited to, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a semiconductor memory, a digitally encoded plastic memory, a holographic memory, or any other recording medium. The data stores  140  and  162  can be a stand-alone storage unit as well as a storage unit formed from a set of physical devices, which may be remotely located from one another. Additionally, information can be stored within each data store in a variety of manners. For example, information can be stored within a database structure or can be stored within one or more files of a file storage system, where each file may or may not be indexed for information searching purposes. 
     Network  150  can include any hardware/software/and firmware necessary to convey digital content encoded within carrier waves. Content can be contained within analog or digital signals and conveyed through data or voice channels and can be conveyed over a personal area network (PAN) or a wide area network (WAN). The network  150  can include local components and data pathways necessary for communications to be exchanged among computing device components and between integrated device components and peripheral devices. The network  150  can also include network equipment, such as routers, data lines, hubs, and intermediary servers which together form a packet-based network, such as the Internet or an intranet. The network  150  can further include circuit-based communication components and mobile communication components, such as telephony switches, modems, cellular communication towers, and the like. The network  150  can include line based and/or wireless communication pathways. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a set of user interfaces  205 ,  250  associated with an authenticity rating in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements disclosed herein. The interfaces  205 ,  250  can be used in context of system  100 . 
     Identity data interface  205  can be presented to a user to provide information that can verify their identity. Interface  205  can include one or more interface controls for providing a biometric  210  input. Biometric input can include a fingerprint  212 , an image  214 , typing characteristics, a speech sample (used in conjunction with a speaker identification and verification technique), and the like. Other verifiable inputs  220  can be entered via text controls. These inputs  220  can include datum related to a person, which is known by a person yet is often not known by others attempting to spoof an identity of another. For example, inputs  220  can include a driver&#39;s license number, a zip code, a birth date, a mother&#39;s maiden name, a high school that a user graduated from, and the like. In one embodiment, a portion of this information can be automatically verified using a trusted source. In another embodiment, inclusion of the information  220  can permit a community of users to more easily and accurately determine if an individual user has accurately represented himself or herself. For example, when input  220  is included in a profile (such as profile  142 ) other users may be able to verify or refute this information (i.e., other users attending a specified high school, for example, can verify or deny whether a user associated with an authentication rating attended that high school during a profile indicated period). Information input via interface  205  can be submitted  230  to a data store accessible by an authentication engine, which calculates the authenticity rating for the rated user. In one embodiment, the data  210 ,  220  entered in interface  205  can be data, which does not appear in a user&#39;s profile. At least a portion of the data  210 ,  220  can be verified by a data source, which a rated user is not able to edit. 
     Authenticity rating interface  250  can be presented to a user when they wish to view the authenticity rating of another user. Interface can show a variety of information regarding an authenticity rating  260  associated with a user  255 . For example, each rating user can provide comments  265 , which can be optionally viewed. If a user has been verified by one or more identity authorities, each of those authorities can be shown  275 , along with details of the authentication. Further, self-verification data  280  and results can be provided in the interface  250 . 
     In one embodiment, sensitive, confidential, and/or personal information can be hidden from others. For example, a rated user (JohnD) may not want others to know his full name or other information; yet, the rated user may want to permit others to know that the information included in a user profile is accurate. For instance, the user&#39;s profile can accurately indicate that the user is a thirty-eight year old male physician, who is married. Personal information, such as full name, address, social security information, etc., can be hidden from users of interface  250 , even though some of this information may have been used by an identity authority ( 275 ) and/or when verifying user provided information  280 . Thus, privacy and/or anonymity is able to be maintained for a rated user  255 , while providing assurance to communicators interacting with the user  255  that the user  255  is not likely to be falsely representing himself. 
     It should be understood that interfaces  114 ,  205 ,  250  are presented for illustrative purposes only and that the disclosure is not to be limited in this regard. For example, different interface elements, arrangements, and types than those shown are contemplated and are to be considered within scope of the disclosure. 
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart of a method  300  for calculating authenticity ratings in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive arrangements disclosed herein. The method  300  can be performed in context of system  100 . In one embodiment, the actions of method  300  can be performed by a machine executing instructions of a computer program product, which is digitally encoded in a storage medium. 
     Method  300  can begin in step  305 , where an authenticity rating and related data can be received from a set of users. The authenticity rating can reflect whether a rater believes profile data associated with an on-line entity (who can be another user) is accurate. The related data can include comments provided by a rater concerning the on-line entity. 
     In optional step  310 , self verification information can be received from the on-line entity. This self-verification information can include information entered into the profile as profile data as well as data not included in the profile data. Further, the self verification information can include sensitive and/or confidential information that is to remain hidden from others. In step  315 , the self verification information can be compared against data from a data source, which the online entity is unable to edit. 
     In step  320 , the profile data can be optionally confirmed using one or more identity authorities. Identity authorities can include, but are not limited to, a utility provider that provides a service to the on-line entity, an internet service provider for the on-line entity, a government authority that interacts directly with the on-line entity, an employer of the on-line entity, and the like. Each of the identity authorities can be a trusted source having knowledge regarding whether the information in the profile for the online entity is likely to be accurate. The identification authorities can have access to information related to the online entity, which is not included within the user profile. For example, a social security number, a driver&#39;s license number, a service account number, address information, and the like can be possessed by the identification authority. In one embodiment, one or more identification authorities can be a data source that confirms or refutes self-verification information provided by the on-line entity. 
     In step  325 , an identity score can be computed using the received authentication ratings, results from the self-verification data, and/or results from the identity authority validations. The identity score can indicate a confidence level or likelihood that the profile data is accurate for the on-line entity. 
     In step  330 , an authority rating based upon the identity score can be presented to communicators able to interact on-line with the on-line entity. For example, an authority rating of four out of five stars can be presented when the identity score is within a previously determined range of values. In one embodiment, the presentation of the authority rating can occur within a Web interface rendered within a Web browser. In one configuration, the interface can be one of multiple screens of a communication application, which can be used to communicate with the on-line entity. Further, additional information, such as rater provided comments, self-verified data provided by the on-line entity, identification authorities who have confirmed data of the profile, and the like can be optionally presented. 
     The diagrams in  FIGS. 1-3  illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.