Patent ID: 8627506

Claim:
A method comprising: maintaining a user profile for a user of a social networking system, the user profile including profile information about the user and information about one or more connections of the user in the social networking system; maintaining privacy settings for the user for controlling access by other users in the social networking system to data sharable by a third party application used by the user, the third party application maintained by an entity distinct from the social networking system; receiving from the third party application a request for information about the user; determining by a processor device whether the privacy settings for the user allow a second user of the social networking system access to the data associated with the third party application, the request for information about the user responsive to use of the third party application by the second user; and communicating the privacy settings for the user to the third party application to allow the requested information about the user to be provided to the second user in conjunction with use of the third party application by the second user, if the privacy settings for the user allow the second user access to the data associated with the third party application.