Digitally Signed URLs for Search Ranking Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Online service providers face challenges in maintaining the integrity of search result rankings due to unauthorized manipulation of URLs, which can distort search results and generate excessive request traffic through methods like click farming.
Innovation Solution
Implementing digitally signed URLs using cryptographic hashes to verify the authenticity of user interactions, ensuring that only legitimate traffic influences ranking models.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If URLs are made freely editable to allow user interactions and refinements, then ease of operation is improved, but security and integrity of search rankings deteriorate due to unauthorized manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
A digital signature mechanism is introduced as an intermediary between the URL and the search ranking system. The signature verifies the authenticity of URL modifications, allowing users to refine searches while preventing unauthorized manipulation of rankings. The signature acts as a mediator that validates the intent behind URL changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter state of URLs by adding a digital signature component. Instead of URLs being simple editable strings, they become signed data structures where the signature parameter indicates whether the URL modification is authorized. This parameter change enables the system to distinguish between legitimate user interactions and malicious manipulation.
2Productivity
If automated systems are used to evaluate website traffic for curation, then productivity is improved, but harmful factors increase due to artificial boosting of search results
Solution Approach 1:
The digital signature system provides feedback to the automated evaluation systems about the authenticity of traffic sources. By verifying signatures on URL requests, the system can identify and filter out artificial traffic patterns, ensuring that productivity gains from automation are not compromised by manipulated data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of URL manipulation into a beneficial verification mechanism. The same digital signature technology that prevents malicious manipulation also enables the system to identify and filter out artificial traffic, turning a security challenge into a quality control advantage for search ranking.
3Reliability
If digital signatures are added to URLs to prevent manipulation, then reliability of search rankings is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The verification logic is extracted from the URL itself and placed in a separate signature validation mechanism. The URL contains only the necessary navigation information, while the digital signature is a separate authentication component. This extraction reduces the complexity of URL parsing while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The digital signature mechanism serves multiple functions: it authenticates URL modifications, identifies legitimate user interactions, and provides feedback to ranking systems. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate complex verification systems, as the signature handles both security and quality control requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for digitally signing uniform resource locators (URLs) to prevent manipulation of search result rankings. A computer system of a service provider can receive a first request to navigate to a network page provided by the service provider and corresponding to items associated with the first request. The computer system can generate the network page by generating a URL for an additional network page linked from the network page. The computer system can use the URL to generate a signed URL that includes a digital signature. The computer system can include the signed URL in the network page and cause the network page to be presented at a user device.