Anonymous Friendship via Virtual Identity Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional instant messaging systems require real personal identities for account creation, leading to potential unauthorized account usage and data leakage risks when making friends, as users must share personal data for friendship requests.
Innovation Solution
A method for making friends anonymously through creating platform identities, allowing users to select from multiple identities for friendship requests without revealing real personal information, using a system that recommends creating virtual identities for secure interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If real personal identity is required for account creation in instant messaging systems, then account reliability and user verification are improved, but user privacy protection and security against unauthorized usage deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the identity system by introducing virtual identities that are separated from real personal identities. Users can create multiple virtual identities (e.g., work identity, personal identity) that are segmented from their actual personal information, allowing verification without exposing sensitive data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtual identity as an intermediary between the user's real identity and the instant messaging system. This intermediary layer allows account creation and verification processes to occur without directly exposing real personal information, thus protecting user privacy while maintaining system reliability.
2Reliability
If real personal data is shared for friendship requests, then friendship connection accuracy is improved, but privacy protection and security against unauthorized usage deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments personal information into virtual identity components that can be selectively shared. Instead of exposing complete personal data for friendship requests, users share only the necessary virtual identity information, maintaining connection accuracy while minimizing information exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different levels of information disclosure for different purposes. Virtual identities provide localized information quality - sufficient for friendship verification but insufficient for unauthorized usage, thus balancing connection accuracy with privacy protection.
3Device complexity
If a single account is used for all communications, then system simplicity is improved, but social circle management flexibility and security deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the account system universal by enabling a single account to support multiple virtual identities. This multi-functionality allows users to manage different social circles (work, personal, family) within one account structure, providing both simplicity and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamics by allowing users to switch between different virtual identities within the same account. This dynamic capability enables flexible social circle management while maintaining account simplicity, as users can adapt their identity presentation based on communication context.
Data Source
AI summary
After a friendship pairing process is executed according to a phone directory, send a friendship request message, create at least one first platform identity by the first user, and the first user uses a first platform identity of the at least one first platform identity to make friends with the second user having a platform identity. The first user does not have any platform identity before the first user creates the at least one first platform identity.