Online User Identity Switching for Privacy and Friend Discovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Social networking services (SNS) disclose personal information to the entire community, leading to a high psychological hurdle for users, while anonymous bulletin boards hinder establishing relationships with specific individuals due to anonymous communication.
Innovation Solution
An online communication system that registers a registration name and a pseudonym for each user, allowing selective disclosure of information through a user database, displaying the registration name for permitted users and the pseudonym for others.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If personal information is disclosed to the entire community through SNS, then users can establish friend relationships, but psychological hurdles increase due to privacy concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the user base into two distinct groups: users who have agreed to disclose personal information and users who have not. This segmentation allows the system to selectively apply different information disclosure policies to different user segments, enabling friend relationship establishment for those who consent while protecting the privacy of those who do not, thereby reducing psychological hurdles for the latter group.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying different information disclosure characteristics to different portions of the user community. Specifically, personal information is made visible only to users who have explicitly agreed to disclosure, while remaining hidden from others. This localized information visibility allows the system to maintain privacy protection for the majority while enabling friend relationships for consenting users.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If anonymous communication is used on bulletin boards, then privacy is protected, but the ability to establish relationships with specific individuals is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics by allowing users to change their information disclosure status over time. Users can dynamically switch between anonymous and identified states based on their comfort level and interaction needs. This dynamic capability enables users to start with privacy protection and gradually transition to specific relationship establishment as trust develops, combining the benefits of both anonymous and identified communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary mechanism (the agreement-based disclosure system) that mediates between complete anonymity and full identification. This intermediary layer allows users to selectively reveal their identities to specific individuals while maintaining anonymity from the broader community, thus enabling specific relationship establishment without sacrificing overall privacy protection.
3Adaptability or versatility
If personal information is disclosed to specific others, then friend relationships can be established, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by allowing users to autonomously manage their own information disclosure preferences without requiring complex system intervention. Users can independently agree to or decline information disclosure to specific users, and the system automatically applies the appropriate visibility rules. This self-service approach minimizes system complexity while enabling controlled information sharing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a copying mechanism where the user's disclosure preference is replicated and applied to all interactions with users who have received disclosure agreement. Once a user agrees to disclose information, this agreement is copied and applied systematically to all communications with that user, eliminating the need for manual configuration of each interaction and reducing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A data processing method of an embodiment is used in an online communication system. The data processing method includes registering a registration name and a pseudonym in a user database of the online communication system for each user, displaying the registration name on a display device as a user name of a user who is permitted to disclose information with each other (S23), and displaying the pseudonym on the display device as a user name of a user who is not permitted to disclose information with each other (S24).