Peer-Based Complex Profile Management

Abstract

The rising popularity of Web 2.0 applications has seen an increase in the volume of user-generated content. Web Applications allow users to define policies that specify how they wish their content to be accessed. In large Web 2.0 applications these policies can become quite complex, with users having to make decisions such as 'who can access my image library?', or 'should my mobile number be made available to 3rd party agencies?'. As the policy size grows, the ability for everyday users to comprehend and manage their policy diminishes. This paper presents a model of policy configuration that harnesses the power of the Internet community by presenting average-sets of policy configuration. These policy "profiles" allow users to select a default set of policy values that line up with the average case, as presented by the application population. Policies can be promoted at an application level or at a group level. An XML approach is presented for representing the policy profiles. The approach allows for easy profile comparison and merging. A storage mechanism is also presented that describes how these policies should be made persistent in a distributed data storage system.