# US 2013/0160089 A1 · Advocate for Facilitating Verification for the Online Presence of an Entity > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0160089 A1 - Document ID: US20130160089A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/718,227 - Filed: 2012-12-18 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-19 - Assignees: Credibility Corp. - Inventors: Jeffrey M. Stibel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130160089A1 ## CPC - H04L 63/1408: {by monitoring network traffic (monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00)} - G06Q 10/10: Office automation; Time management - H04L 51/043: using or handling presence information - H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)} - H04L 63/126: {the source of the received data} - H04L 67/54: Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users - H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - 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 ## Abstract Some embodiments provide an advocate system to facilitate automated online presence verification for different entities on behalf of the entities. The advocate system places service providers on notice that profiles and information hosted by them and that form the online presence for a particular entity should first be verified with that particular entity. The advocate system further facilitates online presence verification by 1) directly or indirectly connecting the service providers that are placed on notice with the appropriate authoritative entities to facilitate the verification of the profiles and information, 2) selectively targeting service providers hosting profiles and information that are unverified, 3) automatedly verifying hosted profiles and information based on a verified profile lists and verified information that authoritative entities provide to a central repository. In so doing, the advocate system prevents potential damage to the authoritative entity's credibility while also mitigating potential for fraud, identity theft, etc. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A verification system comprising at least one server with one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, the verification system performing a computer-implemented method for facilitating verification of an online presence of a particular entity, the computer-implemented method comprising: tracking a list of service providers hosting a verified online presence of the particular entity; automatedly scanning a plurality of service providers not specified in the list of service providers; identifying a set of the plurality of service providers hosting an unverified online presence of the particular entity, wherein an unverified online presence comprises at least one of information and an account relating to the particular entity that has not been verified by the particular entity; providing, to each service provider of the plurality of service providers, notice identifying the unverified online presence of the particular entity hosted by the service provider; confirming with at least one of the particular entity and a particular service provider of the set of service providers that an online presence of the particular entity hosted by the particular service provider has been verified; and updating the list of service providers by including the particular service provider in response to the confirmation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising passing notification of the set of service providers hosting an unverified online presence of the particular entity to the particular entity, the notification informing the particular entity of at least one service provider hosting an online presence of the particular entity that potentially contains outdated, inaccurate, or falsified information. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1 receiving updated verified information from the particular entity for dissemination to each service provider in the list of service providers hosting a verified online presence of the particular entity. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The computer-implemented method of claim 3 further comprising disseminating the updated verified information to each service provider in the list of service providers on behalf of the particular entity, said disseminating updating verified information that is presented through the online presence of the particular entity at each service provider in the list of service providers. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising notifying the particular service provider that the online presence hosted by the particular service provider is verified. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The computer-implemented method of claim 5 further comprising providing a graphical badge to the particular service provider for display in conjunction with the online presence of the particular entity at the particular service provider, said graphical badge identifying a verified status of the particular entity's online presence at the particular service provider. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising eliciting verification of the unverified online presence of the particular entity at the particular service provider as a result of the notice. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein eliciting verification of the unverified online presence comprises preventing an unverified profile from being claimed by an entity other than the particular entity. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein eliciting verification of the unverified online presence comprises suspending an unverified profile at the particular service provider. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein eliciting verification of the unverified online presence comprises claiming an unverified profile on behalf of the particular entity. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein eliciting verification of the unverified online presence comprises initiating removal of unverified information from the particular service provider. ### Claim 12 A method for facilitating verification of an online presence of a particular entity, the computer-implemented method comprising: receiving a request to verify the online presence of the particular entity, the request comprising at least one identifier identifying the particular entity; verifying the particular entity as an authoritative source for verification of the particular entity's online presence by (i) querying an entity database using the at least one identifier, (ii) obtaining an entity record from the entity database comprising previously verified contact information for the particular entity, (iii) passing a verification code to the particular entity using the previously verified contact information, and (iv) receiving the verification code from the particular entity; identifying a set of service providers that host part of the particular entity's online presence by (i) searching a plurality of service providers and (i) determining the set of service providers from the plurality of service providers that host at least one of information relating to the particular entity and an account of the particular entity that form the online presence of the particular entity; and providing, to each service provider of the set of service providers, notice that the service provider hosts an unverified online presence of the particular entity, wherein the unverified online presence comprises at least one of information and an account relating to the particular entity that has not been verified by the particular entity. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The computer-implemented method of claim 12 further comprising providing the verified contact information of the particular entity in conjunction with providing the notice, the verified contact information identifying the particular entity as the authoritative source for verifying the unverified online presence of the particular entity hosted by the service provider receiving the notice. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The computer-implemented method of claim 12 further comprising providing contact information of an advocate in conjunction with providing the notice, the contact information identifying the advocate as a source for verifying the unverified online presence of the particular entity on behalf of the particular entity. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The computer-implemented method of claim 12 further comprising confirming verification of an online presence of the particular entity at a particular service provider of the set of service providers. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The computer-implemented method of claim 15 further comprising submitting a verification badge to the particular service provider for presentation in conjunction with the online presence for said particular entity, wherein said verification badge indicates that the online presence hosted by the particular service provider is verified. ### Claim 17 A verification system comprising at least one server with one or more processors and non-transitory computer-readable memory, the verification system performing a computer-implemented method for facilitating verification of an online presence of a particular entity, the computer-implemented method comprising: obtaining verified information from the particular entity, the verified information comprising information that the particular entity approves for inclusion as part of the particular entity's online presence; identifying a set of a plurality of service providers hosting an online presence of the particular entity; scrapping information from the online presence of the particular entity at each service provider of the set of service providers; comparing the verified information with information that is scrapped from an online presence of the particular entity at a particular service provider; and notifying the particular service provider that it hosts an unverified online presence of the particular entity when the verified information does not match with the information that is scrapped from the online presence of the particular entity at the particular service provider. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer-implemented method of claim 17 further comprising automatically updating on behalf of the particular entity, the online presence of the particular entity at the particular service provider using the verified information. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer-implemented method of claim 18 further comprising confirming that the online presence of the particular entity at the particular service provider contains verified information and submitting a verification seal to the particular service provider for display in conjunction with the online presence of the particular entity, the verification seal indicating that the online presence of the particular entity contains information verified by the particular entity. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The computer-implemented method of claim 17 further comprising providing verification confirmation to the particular service provider when the verified information matches with the information that is scrapped from the online presence of the particular entity at the particular service provider. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein notifying the particular service provider comprises passing a set of the verified information that does not match to the information that is scrapped from the online presence of the particular entity to provide the particular service provider with verified information to include with the online presence. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The computer-implemented method of claim 17 further comprising notifying the particular entity of information that is scrapped from the online presence of the particular entity at the particular service provider that does not match to the verified information. ### Claim 23 (depends on 17) The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein obtaining the verified information from the particular entity comprises scrapping a set of web sites of the particular entity that contain the verified information. ### Claim 24 (depends on 17) The computer-implemented method of claim 17 further comprising receiving a list of service providers hosting a verified online presence of the particular entity. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein identifying the set of the plurality of service providers comprises identifying at least one service provider that is not in the list of service providers and that hosts an online presence of the particular entity.