Patent ID: 8640257

Claim:
A method for enabling user privacy for content on a network, the method comprising: providing shared content contributed by a first user, wherein the shared content is stored by a social network system and is accessible to an existing set of other users of the social network system, wherein one or more referred users of the social network system are identified by the shared content, wherein the one or more referred users are different than the first user; receiving input from the first user instructing at least one change in user access to the shared content, wherein the at least one change modifies the user access from the existing set of other users of the social network system to a different set of users of the social network system; checking privacy settings stored by a computer system and associated with each of the one or more referred users identified by the shared content, each privacy setting selected by the associated referred user and indicating: whether the associated referred user is to be sent a notification indicating that the at least one change in user access has been instructed, and whether the associated referred user is to be sent a prompt requesting that the associated referred user provide a permission to allow the at least one change in user access to be performed; causing the notification to be sent to each of the referred users who are associated with corresponding privacy settings requiring the notification; causing the prompt to be sent to each of the referred users who are associated with privacy settings requiring the prompt; changing the user access to the different set of users of the social network system in response to receiving the permission from one or more of the prompted referred users; and modifying the at least one instructed change in user access of the shared content in response to receiving at least one denial of permission from one or more of the prompted referred users.