Patent ID: 7949611

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for processing a request to view profile information, the method executed by at least one computing device comprising a processor, the method comprising: receiving a request via a communications network from a first user to view profile information associated with a second user; identifying a first group vertex associated with the first user based on a database of social network information, wherein the social network information comprises relationship information and profile information received from users of the social network, the first group vertex representing a first type of user-established relationship and connecting via one or more edges a first set of users having the first type of user-established relationship with the first user; identifying a second group vertex associated with the second user based on the database of social network information, the second group vertex representing a second type of user-established relationship and connecting via one or more edges a second set of users having the second type of user-established relationship with the second user; identifying a privacy rule associated with the first group vertex and the second group vertex based on the database of social network information; the processor determining what profile information associated with second user to provide to the first user based at least in part on the privacy rule; and providing the determined profile information associated with the second user to the first user.