Network Reputation System And Its Controlling Method Thereof

Abstract

A network reputation system and its controlling method are provided. A credential and exchange component permits a user to generate credentials and exchange matching items with those persons having a social relationship with the user. A reputation evaluation component enables other users to make evaluations about an estimatee via the sharing of social network information. A query and response component receives a query from a person having a social relationship with the user for requesting an evaluation about the estimatee, and responds with an associated evaluation result to the person having a social relationship with the user, via the sharing of social network information and the evaluations made by the other users about the estimatee.

1 . A network reputation system, comprising:
 an application server producing master social network information of a user via a social network, the master social network information including a personal identity of said user, a service identity that said user registers with said application server, and a matching key of said user;   a credential generation and exchange unit for generating, sharing and exchanging social network information of said user with other users having a social relationship with said user over said social network, the exchanged social network information being generated through conversion of said master social network information and including a matching item computed from a cryptographic hash function of said matching key by a computer of said user;   a reputation evaluation unit for sending an evaluation submitted by said user about an estimatee to said application server, said evaluation including an evaluation value evaluated by said user about said estimatee, a service identifier of said estimatee and said matching item of said user; and   a query and response unit for sending a request by one of said other users having said social relationship with said user to said application server for the evaluation about said estimatee, the request utilizing a private matching scheme derived from said matching item of said user,   wherein said application server generates an evaluation result derived from said request, said matching item of said user, said evaluation value evaluated by said user, said private matching scheme, and the evaluation submitted by said user about said estimatee, replies to said one of said other users with said evaluation result about said estimatee through said query and response unit, and said one of said other users obtains said evaluation value evaluated by said user from said evaluation result by using said matching item of said user.   
     
     
         2 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said master social network information further includes a public key of said user, and a private key of said user. 
     
     
         3 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the evaluation value of said user inside said evaluation result is verified by the public key of said user. 
     
     
         4 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said matching key is a random value chosen by said user. 
     
     
         5 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said evaluation result about said estimatee is further derived from evaluation values evaluated by one or more said other users. 
     
     
         6 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein each of said user and the one or more said other users has respective social network information in said master social network information and a private key inside the respective social network information, and the evaluation values evaluated by said user and the one or more said other users are encrypted by their respective private keys inside their respective social network information. 
     
     
         7 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said evaluation result about said estimatee is a concatenation of a plurality of parameters including the service identity of said estimatee, authentication of said user and the one or more said other users, and scores evaluated on said estimatee by said user and the one or more said other users. 
     
     
         8 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the network reputation system is associated with more than one social network. 
     
     
         9 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the private matching scheme is selected from HP, AgES or FNP scheme. 
     
     
         10 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a communication protocol with private matching and signature bounded together to achieve user identity's privacy preserving and data authentication is used in said network reputation system. 
     
     
         11 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a communication protocol with a sharing bridge identity and a way of signature to respectively achieve user identity's privacy preserving and data authentication is used in said network reputation system. 
     
     
         12 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a communication protocol with server matching to achieve data authentication is used in said network reputation system. 
     
     
         13 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said social network information is chosen from a group of personal identities of said user, a public key of said user and said matching item of said user. 
     
     
         14 . The network reputation system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the private matching scheme is a set cardinality private matching.