Email Usage Analysis for Network Service Level Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The ease with which email accounts can be opened and the lack of identity verification by email hosts leads to inappropriate online behaviors such as spam, bullying, stalking, and fraudulent activities, as individuals can create multiple anonymous accounts for malicious purposes, compromising the reliability of online review systems and network-based services.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize usage data tracking and reporting to verify the identity of email account users, comparing their usage patterns with a primary email account model to determine consistency and adjust service levels or delivery treatments accordingly, thereby reducing inappropriate online behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If email hosts do not verify identity or limit accounts, then ease of opening email accounts is improved, but inappropriate online behavior increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of email account usage data before allowing access to network-based services. By examining usage patterns in advance (such as checking if the email account is newly created, has unusual sending patterns, or lacks consistent usage history), the system can identify potentially malicious accounts before they cause harm, thus maintaining ease of account creation while preventing inappropriate behavior.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary verification layer between email account creation and access to network-based services. This intermediary system analyzes usage data and acts as a mediator that determines whether to grant or restrict access, thereby decoupling the ease of email account creation from the need to prevent harmful activities.
2Reliability
If usage data tracking is implemented to verify identity, then reliability of online services is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system leverages existing email service data that is already being collected and stored by email providers. Rather than implementing a completely new tracking infrastructure, the patent repurposes existing usage data (such as sending patterns, account age, and communication history) for verification purposes, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The usage data tracking system serves multiple functions: it verifies user identity, detects inappropriate behavior, and enables dynamic service level adjustment. By making the tracking system multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate systems for each purpose, thereby improving reliability while limiting the increase in overall complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If dynamic service levels are assigned based on usage analysis, then security against inappropriate behavior is improved, but loss of information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different levels of verification and service restrictions to different email accounts based on their specific usage patterns, rather than applying a uniform approach. By analyzing local characteristics of each account (such as account age, sending frequency, recipient patterns) and applying targeted service levels, the system improves security while preserving legitimate user information and access.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided to reduce inappropriate online behavior. The method includes providing a network service, receiving a request from a user to use the network service, and requesting a usage report about an email account associated with the user. The usage report is based on analysis of usage data representative of usage of the email account, and the analysis is based on at least one of a date that the email account was established, tracked history of emails received by the email account, and a history of IP addresses used when accessing the email account for communicating with multiple other email accounts, and the usage data is unrelated to content included in email messages exchanged by the email account. Either a first level or a second level of the network service available to the user is selected, wherein selection of the first or second level is based on whether the usage report meets selectable criteria.