JP3730200B2 - Server and program for mailing system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mailing system that provides a mailing list service that delivers electronic mail having the same contents to a plurality of users registered in a mailing list.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a mailing list service that distributes e-mails having the same contents to a plurality of users using an e-mail function of the Internet is known. There are two types of mailing list services: a newsletter distribution type and a BBS (electronic bulletin board) type. Among these, in the latter mailing list service, mail posted from one user registered in the mailing list is delivered simultaneously to a plurality of users registered in the mailing list.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the BBS mailing list service described above, a registered user of a mailing list can browse electronic mail posted in the past.
For this reason, for example, a new registered user may view the contents of an e-mail posted in the past by a user who has already withdrawn.
In such a case, after the user withdraws from the mailing service, there is a possibility that personal information described in the email posted by the user may be viewed by others without the user's own knowledge. There is a possibility that the privacy of the user is not protected.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a mailing list server capable of protecting the privacy of a user in a mailing system that provides a mailing list service.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a mailing system server according to a first aspect of the present invention provides:
A server for a mailing system having a function of storing e-mail data posted from a registered user of a mailing list service in a database and providing the stored e-mail data in response to a browsing request from a registered user,
Means for storing, for each registered user, profile information including information on a character string to be concealed in an e-mail;
A determination unit that acquires data of an email requested to be browsed and determines whether or not to perform a predetermined replacement process based on the withdrawal time from the mailing list service of the user who sent the email;
When it is determined that the replacement process is performed, a replacement unit that replaces the character string to be concealed indicated by the profile information of the sender user with another character string for the data of the email requested to be browsed;
Means for outputting e-mail data in which the character string to be concealed is replaced with another character string by the replacing means;
It is characterized by providing.
[0006]
According to the present invention, when there is a browsing request for an email posted in the past by a user who withdrew from the mailing list service, for example, personal information such as a real name, an address, and an email address is concealed (anonymized). Therefore, it is possible to provide a mailing list service that can protect the privacy of the user and thus realize a smooth community.
[0007]
A designation for a character string to be concealed in the electronic mail may be received from a registered user, and the profile information may be generated based on the received content.
Thereby, since the character string designated by each user can be concealed (anonymized), it is possible to provide a mailing list service that protects the user's privacy and can realize a smooth community.
[0008]
Means for obtaining information indicating the time of withdrawal from the registered user's mailing list service;
Means for accepting and registering a designation as to the execution time of the replacement process from a registered user,
The determination means determines whether or not to perform the replacement process based on information indicating the withdrawal time of the transmission source user and the content specified for the execution time of the replacement process by the transmission source user. It may be.
As a result, each user can freely set the time when the e-mail posted by the user in the past is concealed (anonymized), for example, “6 months after withdrawal”, thus providing a flexible service Is possible.
[0009]
The program according to the second aspect of the present invention is:
Computer
Program for functioning as a server for a mailing system having a function of accumulating e-mail data posted from registered users of a mailing list service and providing the accumulated e-mail data in response to a browsing request from a registered user Because
Means for storing, for each registered user, profile information including information on a character string to be concealed in an e-mail;
A determination unit that acquires data of an email requested to be browsed and determines whether or not to perform a predetermined replacement process based on the withdrawal time from the mailing list service of the user who sent the email,
When it is determined that the replacement process is performed, a replacement unit that replaces the character string to be concealed indicated by the profile information of the sender user with another character string for the data of the email requested to be browsed,
Means for outputting e-mail data in which the character string to be concealed is replaced by another character string by the replacing means;
It is made to function as.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a mailing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0011]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a mailing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, this mailing system includes a plurality of clients 11, a mailing list management server 13, and a mailing list anonymization server 15 connected to each other via a network 10.
[0012]
The network 10 includes a mobile communication network, a telephone line, the Internet, and the like, and enables information to be transmitted and received between the client 11, the mailing list management server 13, and the mailing list anonymization server 15.
[0013]
The client 11 includes, for example, a computer including a control unit, a display unit, an input unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, and the like. The control unit of the client 11 executes an operation program stored in the storage unit, thereby browsing the web page via the network 10 and storing it in a mailbox provided in a predetermined mail server (not shown). It is possible to execute processing such as browsing of e-mails being sent and sending of e-mails.
[0014]
The mailing list management server 13 includes, for example, a computer including a control unit 131, a storage unit 132, and a communication control unit 133, as shown in FIG.
[0015]
The control unit 131 implements the mail processing unit 131a by executing an operation program or the like stored in the storage unit 132.
The mail processing unit 131a is a conventional mailing system for registering a mailing list, accepting posting of e-mails, storing and storing posted mails in the storage unit 132, and sending broadcasts of posted emails to registered users. The same mailing list processing is performed.
[0016]
Further, the mail processing unit 131a reads the data of the corresponding electronic mail from the storage unit 132 in response to the browsing request for the past electronic mail from the client 11, and passes it to the mailing list anonymization server 15. The mailing list anonymization server 15 receives e-mail data that has undergone predetermined processing, and supplies screen information for displaying the contents of the e-mail to the requesting client 11.
[0017]
The storage unit 132 stores an operation program executed by the control unit 131 and various data necessary for processing. The storage unit 132 includes a mailing list DB 132a, a past mail DB 132b, and the like.
The mailing list DB 132a stores data such as a user's mail address registered in the mailing list.
The past mail DB 132b stores data such as electronic mail posted by registered users.
[0018]
The communication control unit 133 is for performing data communication with the client 11, the mailing list anonymization server 15, and the like via the network 10.
[0019]
The mailing list anonymization server 15 includes, for example, a computer including a control unit 151, a storage unit 152, and a communication control unit 153 as illustrated in FIG.
[0020]
The control unit 151 implements the profile processing unit 151a and the anonymization processing unit 151b by executing an operation program or the like stored in the storage unit 152.
[0021]
In response to the profile registration request from the client 11, the profile processing unit 151 a supplies the client 11 with an input screen for inputting data items necessary for generating profile information to be described later. The input screen supplied to the client 11 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, personal information such as the user's name, address, email address, password, etc., necessity of anonymization, anonymous validity period, and anonymity Input items such as a character string (anonymous target keyword) and a character string (replacement keyword) to be replaced with the anonymous target keyword are provided. Then, the profile processing unit 151 a generates user profile information based on the input data received from the client 11 and registers it in the storage unit 152.
[0022]
In addition, the profile processing unit 151 a acquires information on the user withdrawal (for example, the email address of the user who has withdrawn, the withdrawal date, etc.) from a server or the like that accepts a withdrawal request for the mailing list service from the user, and is stored in the storage unit 152 The withdrawal date is set in the corresponding user profile information.
[0023]
In response to the anonymization request from the mailing list management server 13, the anonymization processing unit 151b refers to the profile information registered in the storage unit 152, and determines whether or not anonymization is necessary for the data of the processing target email. Determine. If anonymization is necessary, a part of the e-mail data is anonymized and sent back to the mailing list management server 13. If no anonymization is needed, it is sent back to the mailing list management server 13 as it is. .
[0024]
The storage unit 152 stores an operation program executed by the control unit 151 and various types of data necessary for processing. The storage unit 152 includes a profile DB 152a and the like.
[0025]
The profile DB 152a stores profile information of each user. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the profile information includes personal information such as name, address, e-mail address, password, necessity of anonymization, withdrawal date of mailing service, anonymity period, anonymity target keywords, and Contains information such as corresponding replacement keywords.
[0026]
The communication control unit 153 is for performing data communication with the client 11, the mailing list management server 13, and the like via the network 10.
[0027]
Hereinafter, the operation of the mailing system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on the characteristic portions of the present invention.
[0028]
First, a process for a user who has joined the mailing list service by the mailing system in this embodiment to register his / her profile will be described with reference to FIG.
For example, the user A who has subscribed to this mailing service accesses the site for registering the profile by the mailing list anonymization server 15 from the client 11, and displays his name, address, e-mail on the input screen as shown in FIG. Information such as an address, password, need for anonymity, anonymity validity period, anonymity content (anonymity target keyword, replacement keyword) and the like are input. The client 11 transmits the input data to the mailing list anonymization server 15 (L11).
The mailing list anonymization server 15 generates profile information based on the input data received from the client 11, and stores it in the profile DB 152a (L12). Thereby, registration of the profile of the user A is completed.
[0029]
Next, processing when a registered user views an email posted in the past will be described with reference to FIG.
For example, the user B accesses the site for browsing past emails by the mailing list management server 13 from the client 11 and designates the email to browse (L21). Here, for example, it is assumed that the postal mail of user A who has already withdrawn is designated.
The mailing list management server 13 reads the email data of the designated user A from the past mail DB 132b, and transmits it to the mailing list anonymization server 15 together with the anonymization request (L22).
[0030]
The mailing list anonymization server 15 determines whether or not anonymization is necessary for the received user A email data, anonymizes part of the email data as necessary, and processes the processed email data. Is transmitted to the mailing list management server 13 (L23).
[0031]
Here, the details of this anonymization process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, the mailing list anonymization server 15 reads the profile information corresponding to the received e-mail data from the profile DB 152a using the mail address of the user A who is the sender as a key (step S10).
And it is discriminate | determined whether the anonymization is required about the read profile information (step S11). In this example, it is assumed that the profile information of user A is set to require anonymization.
[0032]
If it is determined in step S11 that anonymization is necessary, the mailing list anonymization server 15 determines from the information on the withdrawal date, the validity period of anonymization, etc. in the profile information of the user A at the present time. It is determined whether or not the electronic mail data needs to be anonymized (step S12). For example, the withdrawal date of the user A is set to “March 1, 2002”, the anonymization effective period is set to “one month after the withdrawal date”, and the current date is “April 10, 2002”. ", It is determined that anonymization is necessary because the current date is within the anonymization effective period.
[0033]
If it is determined in step S12 that anonymization is necessary, the mailing list management server 13 replaces the anonymous target keyword in the processing target email with the corresponding replacement keyword according to the setting contents of the profile information of the user A. (Step S13). Then, the e-mail data after the keyword replacement is transmitted to the mailing list management server 13 (step S14), and the anonymization process is terminated.
[0034]
This keyword replacement will be specifically described. For example, in the profile information, the user's real name “Kazuo Sato” and the corresponding replacement keyword “Satosato” are set as the anonymous target keyword, and the user is set as the anonymous target keyword. Email address “sato@xxxx.co.jp” and the corresponding replacement keyword “abcd@efgh.ij.kl” are set, the email data shown in FIG. It is converted into e-mail data shown in (b).
[0035]
If it is determined in step S11 that anonymization is not required, the mailing list anonymization server 15 transmits the processing target email data as it is to the mailing list management server 13 (step S14). ). If it is determined in step S12 that anonymization is unnecessary, the mailing list anonymization server 15 transmits the processing target email data to the mailing list management server 13 as it is (S14).
[0036]
The mailing list management server 13 that has received the electronic mail data of the user A subjected to the above-described anonymization processing supplies screen information for displaying the contents of the electronic mail to the requesting client 11 (FIG. 7: L24). The client 11 displays the received screen information. Thereby, the data of the e-mail in which the real name of the user A is anonymized is displayed on the client 11.
[0037]
As described above, according to the present invention, when a user who subscribes to a mailing list service withdraws from the service, anonymization (for example, personal information such as a real name, an address, and an e-mail address) is made about past posted e-mails. It is possible to protect a user's privacy and to realize a smooth community. In addition, by making it possible to set, for each user, a character string to be anonymized, a period in which anonymization is valid, and the like, it is possible to provide a service with high safety and flexibility.
[0038]
Note that the registration timing of the profile information is arbitrary. For example, the profile information may be withdrawn from the user or may be accepted at any time.
[0039]
In the above description, the anonymous target is designated by the keyword. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the method for designating the anonymous target portion is arbitrary. For example, an anonymous target portion (for example, “source address”) may be designated based on the format of the e-mail. Further, a predetermined character string (such as a sender's mail address) may be automatically anonymized without being specified by the user.
In addition, it is possible to specify an anonymity target part based on a predetermined rule for entering a predetermined item in the body of an e-mail (for example, an address is written after the character string “address:”). It may be.
Further, for example, a plurality of items such as an address, a name, a telephone number, and the like may be grouped and specified in units of groups.
[0040]
In the above description, a replacement keyword corresponding to the anonymity target keyword is input. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a method for specifying what character string to replace is arbitrary. For example, options such as “all nine” and “random” may be provided so that a replacement method can be selected.
If no replacement keyword is specified, the mailing list management server 13 may convert the keyword into an arbitrary character string (for example, “******”).
In addition, the mailing list management server 13 may receive only the input specification of the anonymous target keyword without receiving the input specification of the replacement keyword, and convert it into an arbitrary character string (for example, “******” etc.). .
[0041]
When the user's email address is changed, the mailing list anonymization server 15 sets a past email address as an anonymity target keyword of the corresponding user's profile information, and sets a new email address as a replacement keyword. By setting, it becomes possible to browse past e-mails with contents corresponding to the change of the mail address.
In addition, when personal information such as a user's name, address, telephone number, etc. is changed, in the same way as above, in the corresponding user profile information, the personal information before and after the change is changed to the anonymous target keyword and the replacement keyword, respectively. By setting, it becomes possible to browse past e-mails with contents corresponding to changes in personal information.
[0042]
In addition, the mailing list anonymization server 15 may log a past electronic mail that has been requested to be browsed, and provide a report on the browsing status in response to an external request. The content of the report is arbitrary, and may include information on the viewed email (such as the sender's email address and email content), information on the requesting viewer (such as the email address of the viewer), and information such as the viewing date and time.
[0043]
In the above description, whether to anonymize or not is determined based on the effective period specified by the user. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when there is a browsing request for the past e-mail of the user who has withdrawn. May anonymize the email. In this case, the mailing list anonymization server 15 refers to the withdrawal date information set in the profile information when an email browsing request is generated, determines whether or not the user has withdrawn, and has withdrawn. If it is determined, the specified part is anonymized.
[0044]
In addition, the mailing list anonymization server 15 may acquire any information on the user withdrawal time. For example, the mailing list anonymization server 15 may receive the client 11 from the client 11 and set the corresponding profile information. You may acquire from other servers which have information about withdrawal.
Further, the information regarding the withdrawal time may not be managed as profile information in the profile DB 152a, but may be managed in other storage areas (including storage areas of other computers).
[0045]
Further, the mailing list management server 13 and the mailing list anonymization server 15 may be connected to each other via a network such as a LAN, and data transmission / reception between these devices may be performed via a network such as a LAN.
[0046]
The configuration of each device and DB can be arbitrarily changed. For example, a database server for storing past e-mails may be provided separately.
Each server may be composed of a plurality of computer systems operating in cooperation with each other, and the functions of the servers may be integrated by a single computer system.
[0047]
The system of the present invention can be realized using a normal computer system, not a dedicated system. For example, a program for executing the above operation is stored in a computer-readable recording medium (FD, CD-ROM, DVD, etc.) and distributed, and the program is installed in the computer to execute the above processing. Each server or the like may be configured. Further, it may be stored in a disk device included in a server device on a network such as the Internet, and may be downloaded onto a computer, for example, superimposed on a carrier wave.
Further, when the OS realizes the above functions by sharing the OS or jointly with the OS and the application, only the part other than the OS may be stored and distributed in a medium, or may be superimposed on a carrier wave to a computer. You may download it.
[0048]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to protect a user's privacy in a mailing list service and realize a smooth community.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a mailing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a mailing list management server used in the mailing system of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a mailing list anonymization server used in the mailing system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input screen in a scene where profile information is registered.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of profile information.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the mailing system in a scene where a profile is registered.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the mailing system in a scene where electronic mail browsing is requested.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining anonymization processing by a mailing list anonymization server;
FIG. 9 is a diagram for specifically explaining a keyword replacement process in an e-mail;
[Explanation of symbols]
10 network 11 client 13 mailing list management server 15 mailing list anonymization server 131, 151 control unit 132, 152 storage unit 133, 153 communication control unit 131a mail processing unit 132a mailing list DB
132b Past Mail DB
151a Profile processing unit 151b Anonymization processing unit

Claims (4)

A server for a mailing system having a function of storing e-mail data posted from a registered user of a mailing list service in a database and providing the stored e-mail data in response to a browsing request from a registered user,
Means for storing, for each registered user, profile information including information on a character string to be concealed in an e-mail;
A determination unit that acquires data of an email requested to be browsed and determines whether or not to perform a predetermined replacement process based on the withdrawal time from the mailing list service of the user who sent the email;
When it is determined that the replacement process is performed, a replacement unit that replaces the character string to be concealed indicated by the profile information of the sender user with another character string for the data of the email requested to be browsed;
Means for outputting e-mail data in which the character string to be concealed is replaced with another character string by the replacing means;
A server for a mailing system comprising: Accepting designation from the registered user for the character string to be concealed in the e-mail, and generating the profile information based on the accepted content;
The mailing system server according to claim 1, wherein: Means for obtaining information indicating the withdrawal time of the registered user from the mailing list service;
Means for accepting and registering a designation as to the execution time of the replacement process from a registered user;
The determination means determines whether or not to perform the replacement process based on information indicating the withdrawal time of the transmission source user and the specified content about the execution time of the replacement process by the transmission source user.
The mailing system server according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the server is a mailing system server. Computer
Program for functioning as a server for a mailing system having a function of accumulating e-mail data posted from registered users of a mailing list service and providing the accumulated e-mail data in response to a browsing request from a registered user Because
Means for storing, for each registered user, profile information including information on a character string to be concealed in an e-mail;
A determination unit that acquires data of an email requested to be browsed and determines whether or not to perform a predetermined replacement process based on the withdrawal time from the mailing list service of the user who sent the email,
When it is determined that the replacement process is performed, a replacement unit that replaces the character string to be concealed indicated by the profile information of the sender user with another character string for the data of the email requested to be browsed,
Means for outputting e-mail data in which the character string to be concealed is replaced by another character string by the replacing means;
Program to function as.

Images