The Kindred Spirits project is a research project with the focus of improving privacy in online social networks.
Online Social Networks (OSNs) allow users to find kindred spirits by posting personal information. These networks foster social relationships and stimulate better health condition. Social networking sites differ considerably in authentication and privacy levels, and it is difficult for users to understand if and how their privacy is protected by the OSN service providers. The reputation of some social networking sites has diminished by a number of incidents, involving leakage and abuse of personal information, resulting in personal damage. This is a growing problem as millions of profiles containing personal information are added each year, the possibilities to store, retrieve and process personal data are growing, and (professional) search technologies are rapidly progressing. The Kindred Spirits project is aimed at solving some of the privacy issues in OSNs.
