Degrees of Separation Spam Filtering via Contact Graph Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
The proliferation of spam e-mail burdens both users and providers with increased storage and bandwidth costs, as well as user annoyance, due to its low sending costs and lack of effective filtering methods.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that determines the 'degrees of separation' between a sender and an intended recipient by analyzing their contact lists, using this metric to inform spam filtering decisions, such as exempting communications from trusted contacts from filtering or invoking a 'knock-knock' interface for less familiar senders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional spam filtering methods are used, then some spam e-mails can be blocked, but legitimate e-mails from unknown senders may also be filtered out and users lose control over receiving communications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (degrees of separation metric based on contact lists) between the sender and recipient to determine whether to apply filtering. This intermediary layer allows the system to automatically filter spam while preserving user control by using social connection data as a neutral mediator to make filtering decisions
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously analyzing contact list data and communication patterns to dynamically adjust filtering decisions. The degrees of separation metric provides feedback about the relationship between sender and recipient, allowing the system to adaptively distinguish spam from legitimate communications
2Object-affected harmful factors
If aggressive spam filtering is applied, then spam delivery is reduced, but storage and bandwidth costs are not sufficiently minimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by determining the degrees of separation between sender and recipient before delivering the e-mail. By pre-evaluating the social connection metric, the system can block spam e-mails before they consume storage space or bandwidth, preventing resource waste on unwanted communications
3Reliability
If degrees of separation analysis is implemented, then spam filtering effectiveness is improved, but system complexity increases due to contact list analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by using existing contact list infrastructure for multiple purposes: traditional contact management, spam filtering, and degrees of separation analysis. By making the contact list system multi-functional, the patent avoids creating separate complex infrastructure while still achieving sophisticated spam filtering
Data Source
AI summary
A sender's degrees of separation from a recipient may be used to aid in spam filtering or to otherwise handle a communication. The “degrees of separation” represent a metric used to quantify whether/how the recipient is linked to the sender through intermediary people or other entities. A level of “trust” or “legitimacy” about a sender's communication can be inferred by looking at whether the sender is linked to an intended recipient. Typically, user contact lists (e.g., address book, buddy list, and/or white list) are evaluated to determine the number of degrees (or hops) are required to link or relate two users.