Filtering Structured Search Queries Based on Privacy Settings

A system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to:
• access a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them, the nodes comprising:
• a first-user node corresponding to a first user associated with an online social network;
• and
• a plurality of second nodes that each correspond to a concept or a second user associated with the online social network, wherein each second node is associated with a privacy setting defining a visibility of each edge connected to the second node;
• receive from the first user a structured query comprising references to one or more selected nodes from the one or more second nodes and one or more selected edges from the plurality of edges;
• identify one or more target nodes corresponding to the structured query, wherein each target node is a second node from the plurality of second nodes that is connected to at least one of the selected nodes by at least one of the selected edges;
• and
• generate search results comprising references to each target node that is connected to the first-user node in the social graph by a series of selected nodes and selected edges that have a visibility that is visible to the first user, and wherein each target node is within a threshold degree of separation from the first-user node.

One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

• access a social graph comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes, each of the edges between two of the nodes representing a single degree of separation between them, the nodes comprising:
• a first-user node corresponding to a first user associated with an online social network;
• and
• a plurality of second nodes that each correspond to a concept or a second user associated with the online social network, wherein each second node is associated with a privacy setting defining a visibility of each edge connected to the second node;
• receive from the first user a structured query comprising references to one or more selected nodes from the one or more second nodes and one or more selected edges from the plurality of edges;
• identify one or more target nodes corresponding to the structured query, wherein each target node is a second node from the plurality of second nodes that is connected to at least one of the selected nodes by at least one of the selected edges;
• and
• generate search results comprising references to each target node that is connected to the first-user node in the social graph by a series of selected nodes and selected edges that have a visibility that is visible to the first user, and wherein each target node is within a threshold degree of separation from the first-user node.