Controlling operation of a machine and describing actions performed by the machine through a social networking system

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions, the computer program instructions producing a user interface, the user interface comprising:

• a display area for displaying a device identifier associated with a first device, the first device owned by an owner associated with a user of a plurality of users of an online system;
• a display area for displaying a plurality of different types of actions associated with the first device;
• and
• a display area for displaying permissions and configured to:
• display, in response to receiving a selected action from the plurality of different types of actions, a set of permissions;
• and
• map, in response to receiving a selected permission from the set of permissions, the selected permission to the selected action.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions, the computer program instructions comprising code for:

• receiving, by an online system, descriptions of a plurality of different types of actions associated with a first device and an owner of the first device, the owner associated with a user of a plurality of users of the online system;
• receiving a request from a second device of a requesting user of the online system to perform one of the plurality of different types of actions using the first device;
• identifying a type of connection in the online system between the requesting user of the second device and the owner, the type of connection in the online system based on a relationship between the requesting user and the owner in the online system;
• determining, from the online system, that the requesting user is authorized to perform at least one of the plurality of different types of actions based at least in part on the type of connection in the online system;
• and
• sending, from the online system to the first device, instructions authorizing the first device to perform the at least one of the plurality of different types of actions for the requesting user of the second device responsive to determining that the requesting user is authorized to perform the at least one of the plurality of different types of actions using the first device.