Platform for providing a social context to software applications

A system comprising:

• a processor;
• a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for storing software modules;
• a user information database configured to store and update information associated with users of a social networking system and authorization for the use of the information;
• an application programming interface configured to:
• receive a privacy setting from a user of the social networking system via a user device, the privacy setting indicating whether an application provided by a party other than a provider of the social networking system is authorized to access information about the user, including information about one or more other users with whom the user has established a connection in the social networking system, and wherein the application from a server on which the application is executed to the user device based on the accessed information about the one or more other users with whom the user has established a connection in the social networking system,
• receive a request for information about the user stored in the user information database, the requested information comprising information about one or more other users with whom the user has a connection in the social networking system, and
• a verification module configured to:
• determine, based on the received privacy setting, whether the social networking system is authorized to provide the requested information to the requesting application, and
• provide the requested information from the social networking system to the application programming interface if authorized.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing computer program code for performing the steps:

• receiving, at a social networking system, a privacy setting from a user of the social networking system via a user device, the privacy setting indicating whether an application provided by a party other than a provider of the social networking system is authorized to access information about the user, including information about one or more other users with whom the user has established a connection in the social networking system, and wherein the application provides content from a server on which the application is executed to the user device based on the accessed information about the one or more other users with whom the user has established a connection in the social networking system;
• receiving, at the social networking system, a request from the application for information about the user of the social networking system, the requested information comprising information about one or more other users with whom the user has a connection in the social networking system;
• determining, based on the received privacy setting, whether the social networking system is authorized to provide the requested information to the requesting application;
• and
• subject to the determining, providing the requested information from the social networking system to the requesting application.