Disambiguating online identities
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsPatrick Kinsel, Matthew Graham Dyor, Stefan David Weitz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Described herein are technologies pertaining to disambiguating identities/accounts over a plurality of online services. Public data streams pertaining to accounts of different online services are analyzed, and a determination is made that the accounts are owned by a same user. A searchable profile is generated for the user that comprises data that indicates that the user represented by the profile owns the accounts. The profile is claimable by the user such that the user is enabled to customize contents of the profile.
Claims20
A method comprising the following computer-executable acts:
- at a computing device, analyzing a first data stream from a first online service, the first data stream comprising first content set forth by a particular user having a first account on the first online service;
- at the computing device, analyzing a second data stream from a second online service, the second data stream comprising second content set forth by the particular user having a second account on the second online service;
- at the computing device, generating data that indicates that the first account on the first online service and the second account on the second online service are both owned by the particular user based at least in part upon the analyzing of the first data stream from the first online service and the analyzing of the second data stream from the second online service.
A computing apparatus comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a memory that comprises components that are executable by the processor, the components comprising:
- an analyzer component that performs an analysis over a data stream generated from a first account of a first online service, the data stream comprising a message set forth by a particular user that is publicly accessible, wherein the first account is owned by the particular user;
- a disambiguator component that automatically determines that a second account on a second online service is also owned by the particular user based at least in part upon the analysis over the data stream performed by the analyzer component.
A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:
- accessing a public data stream generated from a first account on a first online service, wherein the first account corresponds to a particular user;
- determining that at least one message in the public data stream was generated by the first online service by way of a second account on a second online service;
- analyzing content of the at least one message to obtain data that is indicative of the second account;
- requesting an identity of an owner of the second account from the second online service based at least in part upon the content of the at least one message;
- subsequent to requesting the identity of the owner of the second account from the second online service, receiving the identity of the owner of the second account from the second online service;
- and
- generating data that correlates the particular user with the first account and the second account.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.