# US 11,451,956 B1 · Location privacy management on map-based social media platforms

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- Number: US 11,451,956 B1
- Document ID: US11451956B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 15/965,764
- Filed: 2018-04-27
- Granted: 2022-09-20
- Earliest claimed: 2017-04-27
- Assignees: Snap Inc.
- Applicants: Snap Inc.
- Inventors: Daniel Amitay; Jonathan Brody; Leonid Gorkin; Jeffrey Arthur Johnson; Andrew Lin; Walton Lin; John Rauser; Amer Shahnawaz; Evan Spiegel; Marcel M. Yung
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451956B1

## CPC

- H04W 4/021: Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
- G06F 3/04817: using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34)
- G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
- G06F 3/04842: Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence)
- G06F 3/0487: using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
- G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
- G06F 16/248: Presentation of query results
- G06F 16/29: Geographical information databases
- G06F 16/487: using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
- G06F 16/90335: {Query processing}
- G06F 16/9038: Presentation of query results
- G06F 16/9535: Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
- G06F 16/9537: Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
- G06Q 10/40: Business processes related to social networking or social networking services
- G06Q 10/44: Identification of trends within social networks, e.g. identification of trending topics
- G06T 11/26: Drawing of charts or graphs
- G06T 11/65: on geographic maps
- H04L 41/22: comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
- H04L 41/28: Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
- H04L 51/222: using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
- H04L 51/52: for supporting social networking services
- H04L 63/101: {Access control lists [ACL]}
- H04L 63/107: {wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals}
- H04L 67/12: specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
- H04L 67/306: User profiles
- H04L 67/52: specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
- H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)}
- H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information
- H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services
- H04W 4/185: {by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging}
- H04W 4/21: for social networking applications
- H04W 12/02: Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
- G06F 9/547: {Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services}
- G06T 2200/24: involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

A map-based graphical user interface for a social media application displays to special social media activity information based on submission of geo-tagged social media items to the platform. For users and or submitted items that need predefined location fuzzing criteria, such activity is represented in the graphical user interface at an intentionally inaccurate position.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
accessing activity information indicating social media activity of a user, the social media activity comprising posting by the user of a social media item to a social media platform, and the activity information including location information indicating an actual geographic location associated with the social media activity;
determining that the social media activity satisfies predefined location fuzzing criteria, which location fuzzing criteria include that the social media item satisfies predefined isolation criteria with respect to other social media items, being social media items posted by other users of the social media platform, wherein the isolation criteria are satisfied conditional upon a count of other social media items within a threshold proximity and within a predefined time interval of the social media item being smaller than a predefined threshold value; and
conditional upon the determining that the location fuzzing criteria are satisfied for the social media activity, causing display on a map-based graphical user interface (GUI) for a social media platform a visual representation of the social media activity at a non-accurate location that is spaced from the actual geographic location.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the location fuzzing criteria are based at least in part on one or more attributes of the user.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to determining that the social media activity satisfies the location fuzzing criteria, performing an automated location fuzzing procedure that calculates the non-accurate location based at least in part on the actual location of the social media activity.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the social media item has geo-tag information indicating the actual location, the visual representation in the map-based GUI representing the social media item at the non-accurate location.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the map-based GUI includes a heatmap overlaid on an interactive map forming part of the map-based GUI, the visual representation of the social media item comprising a portion of the heatmap generated at the non-accurate location based at least in part on the social media item.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the isolation criteria specifies a threshold number and a threshold proximity radius from the actual location of the social media item, the social media item being identified as satisfying the isolation criteria conditional upon the count of other social media items that have actual locations within the proximity radius is smaller than the predefined threshold value.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the isolation criteria additionally specifies the predefined time interval, other social media items included in the count being limited to social media items having respective timestamp information covering a span of no more than the time interval.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further comprising calculating a fuzzing distance by which the non-accurate location is spaced from the actual location based at least in part on a population density value associated with a geographic area in which the actual location is situated, such that the fuzzing distance is variable based on variation in associated population density.

### Claim 9 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the location fuzzing procedure is a nonrandom procedure.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the location fuzzing procedure is such that the non-accurate location is constant for different social media items posted by the same user at the same actual location.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the location fuzzing procedure calculates a fuzzing distance and a fuzzing direction that define spacing of the non-accurate location relative to the actual location, the location fuzzing procedure being based at least in part on a value of the actual location, such that different social media items posted by the same user at different actual locations differ in at least one of the fuzzing distance and the fuzzing direction.

### Claim 12 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the location fuzzing procedure is based at least in part on a randomly generated value.

### Claim 13

A system comprising:
one or more computer processor devices; and
one or more memory devices having stored thereon instructions that configure the one or more computer processor devices, when executing the instructions, to perform operations comprising:
accessing activity information indicating social media activity of a user, the social media activity comprising posting by the user of a social media item to a social media platform, and the activity information including location information indicating an actual geographic location associated with the social media activity;
determining that the social media activity satisfies predefined location fuzzing criteria; which location fuzzing criteria include that the social media item satisfies predefined isolation criteria with respect to other social media items, being social media items posted by other users of the social media platform, wherein the isolation criteria are satisfied conditional upon a count of other social media items within a threshold proximity and within a predefined time interval of the social media item being smaller than a predefined threshold value; and
conditional upon the determining that the location fuzzing criteria are satisfied for the social media activity, causing display on a map-based graphical user interface (GUI) for a social media platform in a visual representation of the social media activity at a non-accurate location that is spaced from the actual geographic location.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the location fuzzing criteria are based at least in part on one or more attributes of the user.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions further configure the computer processor devices to, responsive to determining that the social media activity satisfies the location fuzzing criteria, perform an automated location fuzzing procedure that calculates the non-accurate location based at least in part on the actual location of the social media activity.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the social media item has geo-tag information indicating the actual location, the visual representation in the map-based GUI representing the social media item at the non-accurate location.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, wherein the map-based GUI includes a heatmap overlaid on an interactive map forming part of the map-based GUI, the visual representation of the social media item comprising a portion of the heatmap generated at the non-accurate location based at least in part on the social media item.

### Claim 18

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for causing a machine, when executing the instructions, to perform operations comprising:
accessing activity information indicating social media activity of a user, the social media activity comprising posting by the user of a social media item to a social media platform, and the activity information including location information indicating an actual geographic location associated with the social media activity;
determining that the social media activity satisfies predefined location fuzzing criteria, which location fuzzing criteria include that the social media item satisfies predefined isolation criteria with respect to other social media items; being social media items posted by other users of the social media platform, wherein the isolation criteria are satisfied conditional upon a count of other social media items within a threshold proximity and within a predefined time interval of the social media item being smaller than a predefined threshold value; and
conditional upon the determining that the location fuzzing criteria are satisfied for the social media activity, causing display on a map-based graphical user interface (GUI) for a social media platform a visual representation of the social media activity at a non-accurate location that is spaced from the actual geographic location.