Patent ID: 7010599

Claim:
A method for controlling a second user's access to a first user's information over a communications network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a plurality of contact and personal information from the first user over the communications network, the plurality of contact and personal information being information about the first user; receiving registration information from the first user over the communications network; allowing only the first user and persons knowing the registration information of the first user to update the plurality of contact and personal information about the first user; receiving access information from the first user over the communications network, the access information defining the second user's access rights to the plurality of contact and personal information about the first user; allowing only the first user and persons knowing the registration information of the first user to update the access information; updating the plurality of contact and personal information and the access information by the first user and the persons; receiving requests for the plurality of contact and personal information about the first user from the second user over the communications network; if the second user has been granted access rights by the first user, transmitting a first portion of the plurality of contact and personal information about the first user to the second user over the communications network based at least in part on the access information; and withholding a second portion of the plurality of contact and personal information about the first user from transmission to the second user over the communications network based at least in part on the access information.