Facebook Patent Locks Down Profiles... but Google Saw It Coming

Facebook keeps nailing patent awards that will make it difficult for competitors to provide what have become basic features. Its latest covers who can view a social network user's profile and whether someone else can see a full profile or only a shorter version.

And this patent might explain in part why Google (GOOG) decided to go for public only profiles. It also suggests that other services, like LinkedIn (LNKD), could face a bit of a problem.

The patent, issued today, is titled System and method for managing information flow between members of an online social network. With an application originally filed in 2004, this would be part of the intellectual property that Facebook bought from Friendster.

There are only four claims in total, so I might as well list them all:

1. In a computer system for an online social network, a method for managing information exchanges between first and second members of the online social network, wherein the first member of the online social network has a user profile that includes multiple sets of personal information, the method comprising: for each set of personal information, storing a degree of separation required for another member to access the set of personal information, wherein the second member is not allowed to access the set of personal information if the second member is separated from the first member by more than the stored degree of separation; and storing a degree of separation required for another member to contact the first member through the computer system, wherein the second member is not allowed to contact the first member through the computer system if the second member is separated from the first member by more than the stored degree of separation.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing a mini-profile of the first member to a third member of the online social network who is not connected to the first member within the online social network, wherein the mini-profile comprises a subset of the user profile.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: if the second member is separated from the first member by less than or equal to the degree of separation required for another member to contact the first member, providing an interface to the second member for sending a message to the first member through the computer system.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the message is sent via e-mail or text message.

The most important claim is the first one. What makes it powerful is the innate simplicity. Every social network member can have multiple profiles -- sets of personal information -- whether created by the user or automatically generated by the system. Depending on how closely a second user is related to the first, that second user might be able to see one profile but not another. Similarly, the social network can permit a message to go between two members if they are closely enough connected, or forbid sending messages if the connection is too distant.

The other claims further enhance the functions. The second claim covers making a mini-profile available to users who aren't connected. The third, providing a message interface so that two users closely enough connected can send messages to each other through the system, even if forwarded via email or text message.

Profiles, profiles everywhere
This has been a standard offering in social networks for some time. LinkedIn, for example, differentiates between full profiles and shorter public versions and regulates who can send messages to whom, based on whether two members are connected (distance of 1) or not. Potentially having to get permission from Facebook, which also hungers for the professional and recruitment audiences, could smart. And would likely be expensive to boot.

Google hope to turn Google+ into an online identity platform, challenging Facebook and Twitter in their bids to verify the identity of people. That could be one reason that all Google profiles now have to be public.

But I wonder if the company's lawyers, doing a usual perusal through patent applications, advised that making all profiles public would be a smart way to walk around Facebook.

Related:

• Facebook Locks Down an Important Patent on Social Gift Giving
• Facebook Gets Broad Patent on Digital Media Tagging
• Facebook Seeks Patent on Passing Personal Info Between Users
• Google +1 Takes on Facebook "Like" -- and Could End Up in Court
• Google Patent Shows Its Mobile-Payment Ambitions, but Raises Privacy Flags
• New Facebook Patent: the Huge Implications of Curated Search

Image: morgueFile user clarita, site standard license. Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman is a widely published writer and editor who also does select ghosting and corporate work. The views expressed in this column belong to Sherman and do not represent the views of CBS Interactive. Follow him on Twitter at @ErikSherman or on Facebook.

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