Enabling identification of online identities between different messaging services

An article comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions for causing one or more hardware processors to perform operations comprising:

• registering a user of a first instant messaging service with a second instant messaging service different from the first instant messaging service;
• identifying user identities for users other than the registered user, wherein the user identities are associated with the first instant messaging service and the user identities are stored in a list associated with the registered user;
• determining when at least one of the user identities from the list of user identities has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service comprising:
• identifying a unique portion of each user identity associated with the first instant messaging service has at least a required amount of common features with a unique portion of a user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;
• determining a degree of uniqueness of the user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;
• adjusting the required amount of common features between the unique portion of each user identity associated with the first instant messaging service and a unique portion of a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service based on the determined the degree of uniqueness of the user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;
• populating, by the one or more hardware processors, a database associated with the second instant messaging service with the matching user identities;
• and
• storing the database associated with the second instant messaging service, the database accessible by the second instant messaging service.

A system for populating identities in an instant message service, the system comprising:

• one or more hardware processors;
• and
• a memory storing instructions, when executed by the one or more hardware processors to cause the one or more hardware processors to perform operations including:
• registering a user of a first instant messaging service with a second instant messaging service different from the first instant messaging service;
• identifying user identities for users other than the registered user, wherein the user identities are associated with the first instant messaging service and the user identities are stored in a list associated with the registered user;
• determining when at least one of the user identities from the list of user identities has a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service comprising:
• identifying a unique portion of each user identity associated with the first instant messaging service has at least a required amount of common features with a unique portion of a user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;
• determining a degree of uniqueness of the user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;
• adjusting the required amount of common features between the unique portion of each user identity associated with the first instant messaging service and a unique portion of a matching user identity associated with the second instant messaging service based on the determined the degree of uniqueness of the user identity associated with the second instant messaging service;
• populating, by the one or more hardware processors, a database associated with the second instant messaging service with the matching user identities;
• and
• storing the database associated with the second instant messaging service, the database accessible by the second instant messaging service.