Social age verification engine

US8671453B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• FACEBOOK, INC. · US

Inventors

• Edward Moore Underwood · Phoenix, US
• Joseph E. Sullivan · Palo Alto, US
• Ryan McGeehan · San Francisco, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 17, 2010
• Grant date: Mar 11, 2014
• Expiry date: Feb 8, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F2221/2149
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A social networking system obtains parental authorization from a parent for a child to access a computing resource, where the parent and the child are users of the social networking system. The child user may request the authorization by identifying a purported parent user. The social networking system attempts to verify the validity of the purported parent user's account, the age of the user associated with the purported parent's account, and/or the existence of a parent-child relationship between users of the accounts associated with the purported parent and the child. The social networking system makes these determinations, at least in part, using social and transactional information associated with the purported parent user's account and the child user's account in the social networking system. Upon verification of these items, the social networking system may allow the purported parent to provide authorization responsive to the child's request to access the computing resource.