Applying user-specified permissions to distribution of content items to social networking system users

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

• receive a request from a user of a networking system to send a content item to an additional user via the networking system, the user either not connected to the additional user on the networking system or not receiving content items posted by the additional user on a third party system;
• determine whether the user is an authorized user to send one or more content items to the additional user based on information associated with the additional user by the networking system, the information comprising one or more of:
• information describing an interaction between the additional user and the other user of the networking system, and
• information describing actions the additional user performed on a third party system;
• responsive to determining the user is not an authorized user, withhold sending of the content item to the additional user;
• generate a pending message interface identifying the user and a request to identify the user as an authorized user;
• and
• communicate the generated pending message interface to a client device for presentation to the user.

A computer system comprising:

• a computer processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising storage instructions that when executed by the computer processor perform actions comprising:
• receiving a request, from a user of a networking system to send a content item to an additional user via the networking system, the user either not connected to the additional user on the networking system or not receiving content items posted by the additional user on a third party system;
• determining whether the user is an authorized user to send one or more content items to the additional user based on information associated with the additional user by the networking system, the information comprising one or more of:
• information describing an interaction between the additional user and the other user of the networking system, and
• information describing actions the additional user performed on a third party system;
• responsive to determining the user is not an authorized user, withholding sending of the content item to the additional user;
• generating a pending message interface identifying the user and a request to identify the user as an authorized user;
• and
• communicating the generated pending message interface to a client device for presentation to the additional user.