Message content protection and conditional disclosure

• US 6,324,650 B1
• Filed: 11/02/1998
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited, LLC
• Original Assignee: John W.L. Ogilvie
• Inventors: Ogilvie, John W.L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E.
• Application Number:
  US09/184,206
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200, 713/201, 713/202, 713/163, 713/164, 713/168, 713/170, 713/171, 713/176, 709/229, 705/51, 705/52, 705/53, 705/54, 705/57, 705/58, 380/201, 380/202, 380/203
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for controlling the disclosure of sensitive information. Disclosure is controlled in the sense that (a) the information is not disclosed until predefined conditions are met, such as the passage of a certain time without an authorized update request for secrecy, (b) copies of the information are protected by encryption and by widespread, unpredictable storage, so that at least one copy will be available when disclosure is required, (c) the information is kept secret until disclosure is required, and (d) when disclosure is required, the information is sent to predefined destinations such as email addresses or posted to web sites, in a predefined format.

Claims

1. A method executed by computer(s) for controlling disclosure of sensitive information provided by an information provider, comprising the steps of:

obtaining at least one disclosure condition;

hiding copies of the sensitive information in a network;

checking at least once for occurrence of the disclosure condition; and

if occurrence of the disclosure condition is detected then disclosing at least a portion of the sensitive information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensitive information is hidden by encryption.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensitive information is hidden by a file disguise.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hiding step hides at least ten copies of the sensitive information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the hiding step hides at least one hundred copies of the sensitive information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the hiding step hides at least one thousand copies of the sensitive information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hiding step creates at least one roving message copy.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the hiding step creates at least one poised message copy.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining at least one deletion condition;

checking at least once for occurrence of the deletion condition; and

if occurrence of the deletion condition is detected then deleting at least a portion of the sensitive information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein cancellation by the information provider is a deletion condition, and the user requests such cancellation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of accepting a message update and storing the message update.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the message update is a searching update which is not directed at a particular copy of the corresponding message to be updated.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the message update is directed at a particular copy of a corresponding roving message to be updated.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the message update is directed at a particular copy of a corresponding poised message to be updated.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the sensitive information is disclosed using at least one destination specified by the information provider.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a region destination was specified by the information provider and disclosure includes disclosure in that region.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein a deadman switch disclosure condition was specified by the information provider and disclosure is triggered by that condition.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the sensitive information is disclosed using at least one format specified by the information provider.

19. A computer storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which will cause at least a portion of a computer system to perform method steps for controlled message disclosure, the method steps comprising the steps of:

obtaining at least one disclosure condition;

storing copies of a message in a network;

checking for occurrence of the disclosure condition; and

if occurrence of the disclosure condition is detected then disclosing at least a portion of the message.

20. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein the storing step comprises placing a copy of the message in a file disguise.

21. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein the storing step stores at least one thousand copies of the message.

22. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein the storing step stores at least one roving message copy.

23. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein the storing step stores at least one poised message copy.

24. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

obtaining at least one deletion condition;

checking for occurrence of the deletion condition; and

if occurrence of the deletion condition is detected then locating copies of the message and deleting all located copies of the message.

25. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises the steps of accepting a message update and storing the message update.

26. The storage medium of claim 19, wherein at least a portion of the message is disclosed to at least one destination.

27. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein disclosure includes sending a copy of at least a sensitive information component of the message to an email destination.