A message interface system is provided that allows for local nodes to communicate with remote nodes securely. The message interface system provides a secure zone system that includes a reverse proxy server and a proxy server that interface with an internal firewall and an external firewall. The message interface system also includes a bridge system that is behind the internal firewall and that directs the secure zone system to establish connections with remote nodes, sends outbound messages of the local node to the proxy server for sending to the remote nodes, and receives inbound messages from the reverse proxy server sent from the remote nodes. The secure zone system helps ensure that the effects of a cyberattack are limited to the secure zone system without compromising business data of the local node.

Techniques for ensuring verification before transmission of electronic messages are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a computer-implemented method comprises: transmitting a confirmation request message to an e-mail address stored in a database of an online service in association with a digital representation of a first user of the online service; subsequent to transmitting the confirmation request message, causing a selectable option to send a user-to-user message to a second user via the online service to be displayed on the computing device of the first user; receiving, from the computing device of the first user, a selection of the option to send the user-to-user message to the second user; determining that the confirmation of the e-mail address has not been received; and preventing a transmission of the user-to-user message to the second user based on the determining that the confirmation of the e-mail address has not been received.

A method for communicating location information to a device includes receiving, at a computer system that implements a social networking service, location information that represents a geographic location of a device associated with a first user, associating, by the computer system, the received location information with a profile associated with the first user; and sending, from the computer system to a device associated with a second user, a message that is generated based at least in part on the location information.

A communication management method for managing communication made by a plurality of users with a computer including a processor, the computer being accessible to a storage device holding user management information including information on users participating in a community, group management information including information on groups to which the users belong, and community management information including information on the community, and the communication management method comprising steps of: registering, by the processor, in a case of receiving a request to let a group join a community from a client terminal, an administrative user of the group designated by the request to the user management information; registering, by the processor, the group designated by the request to the group management information; and registering, by the processor, the group designated by the request to the community management information, to allow users belonging to the group to participate in the community.

A method for detecting SMS messaging service interruptions by classifying SMS messages as delivered or undelivered based upon the receipt of a successful conversion message within a predetermined time period. A current conversion rate is calculated for each network operator partner and destination network pair and the current conversion rate is compared against a reference conversion rate to identify a decrease in the conversion rate of the SMS messages. If the conversion rate decrease exceeds a predefined value, the channel between the network operator partner and the destination network pair is flagged and subsequent SMS messages are routed to end users via an alternative destination network.

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving an indication of an occurrence of a triggering event for one or more notifications relevant to one or more users. The notifications are sent to one or more of the users through one or more of a number of notifications channels, and each notification channel is associated with one or more software applications. The method also includes accessing a number of notification policies associated with the software applications. Each of the software applications has at least one associated notification policy. At least one of the notification policies associated with a first one of the software applications is interrelated with at least one other notification policy associated with a second one of the software applications. The method also includes sending one or more notifications to one or more users through one or more of the number of notification channels.

Methods and apparatus related to identifying one or more messages sent by a user-identifying two or more contacts that are associated with one or more of the messages, determining a strength of relationship score between identified contacts, and utilizing the strength of relationship scores to provide additional information related to the contacts. A strength of relationship score between a contact and one or more other contacts may be determined based on one or more properties of one or more of the messages. In some implementations, contacts groups maybe determined based on the strength of relationship scores. In some implementations, contacts groups may be utilized to disambiguate references to contacts in messages. In some implementations, contacts group may be utilized to provide suggestions to the user of additional contacts of a contacts group that includes the indicated recipient contact of a message.

Methods and apparatus related to identifying one or more messages sent by a user-identifying two or more contacts that are associated with one or more of the messages, determining a strength of relationship score between identified contacts, and utilizing the strength of relationship scores to provide additional information related to the contacts. A strength of relationship score between a contact and one or more other contacts may be determined based on one or more properties of one or more of the messages. In some implementations, contacts groups maybe determined based on the strength of relationship scores. In some implementations, contacts groups may be utilized to disambiguate references to contacts in messages. In some implementations, contacts group may be utilized to provide suggestions to the user of additional contacts of a contacts group that includes the indicated recipient contact of a message.

A biometric authentication method causes a processor of a biometric authentication device to execute a process. The process may include: receiving user identification information and sensor type information from a terminal; confirming whether or not the received sensor type information has a predetermined relationship with a registered sensor type information corresponding to the received user identification that is among sensor type information of biometric sensors that have acquired biometric data registered for respective user identification information; and controlling, based on the confirmed sensor type information having the predetermined relationship, the issuance of a password to be used to re-register biometric data.

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a mobile communication device, having a controller to capture media content and transmit the media content to a media server with a request for distribution of the media content to one or more targeted recipients according to a user profile associated with the mobile communication device that is stored in the media server, where a format of the media content is adjusted by the media server based at least in part on the user profile. Other embodiments are disclosed.