System, method and apparatus for electronically protecting data and digital content

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus for protecting sensitive data in a file that has been replaced with pointer(s) for each sensitive data. The sensitive data items are protected by restricting subsequent access to and use of the sensitive data items via the pointers by: receiving a first request for data stored in a file on the data storage, determining whether the requested data includes at least one of the pointers, providing the requested data whenever the requested data does not include any of the pointers, and performing the following steps whenever the requested data includes at least one of the pointers: sending a second request containing the pointer(s) included in the requested data to the server that authenticates the second request, denying the first request whenever the authentication fails, and receiving and providing the extracted data item(s) corresponding to the pointer(s) included in the requested data whenever the authentication succeeds.

1 - 33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . A system for protecting sensitive data comprising:
 one or more clients, each client having a processor and one or more pointers, wherein the one or more pointers contain non-sensitive data and indicate one or more locations where one or more items of sensitive data items have been stored in a secure storage by a server;   the server communicably coupled to the one or more clients;   wherein the processor and the server protect the sensitive data items by restricting subsequent access to and use of the sensitive data items via the pointers by:
 receiving a first request for data, 
 determining whether the first request requires one or more items of sensitive data, 
 providing the requested data when the first request does not require sensitive data, and 
 performing the following steps when the first request requires the one or more sensitive data items:
 sending a second request containing one or more pointers to the server, the server authenticating the second request, 
 denying the second request when the authentication fails, and 
 providing the one or more sensitive data items corresponding to the one or more pointers included in the second request when the authentication succeeds. 
 
   
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the pointers comprise non-sensitive data of a same type as the sensitive data. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein the sensitive data items comprise at least one of: personal data, financial data, corporate data, legal data, government data, police data, immigration data, military data, intelligence data, security data, surveillance data, technical data, copyrighted content or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein: each client comprises a respective one of: a computer, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a desktop computer, a workstation, a data terminal, a phone, a mobile phone, a personal data assistant, a media player, a gaming console, a security device, a surveillance device or a combination thereof; and the server is communicably coupled to each respective one of the one or more clients via a respective computer network, a telecommunications network, a wireless communications link, a physical connection, a landline, a satellite communications link, an optical communications link, a cellular network or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 34 , wherein communications between the server and one or more of the one or more clients are encrypted. 
     
     
         39 . A method for protecting sensitive data comprising:
 receiving, at a server communicably coupled to one or more clients, a first request for data,   determining, by the server, whether the first request requires one or more items of sensitive data, and
 if the first request does not require the one or more items of sensitive data, providing the requested data, otherwise, 
 if the first request does require the one or more items of sensitive data, receiving a second request containing one or more pointers, the pointers containing non-sensitive data and indicating one or more locations where the one or more items of sensitive data items have been stored in a secure storage by the server, authenticating the second request, denying the second request when the authentication fails, otherwise providing the one or more sensitive data items corresponding to the one or more pointers included in the second request when the authentication succeeds. 
   
     
     
         40 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the pointers comprise non-sensitive data of a same type as the sensitive data. 
     
     
         41 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein the sensitive data items comprise at least one of: personal data, financial data, corporate data, legal data, government data, police data, immigration data, military data, intelligence data, security data, surveillance data, technical data, copyrighted content or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         42 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein: each client comprises a respective one of: a computer, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a desktop computer, a workstation, a data terminal, a phone, a mobile phone, a personal data assistant, a media player, a gaming console, a security device, a surveillance device or a combination thereof; and the server is communicably coupled to each respective one of the one or more clients via a respective computer network, a telecommunications network, a wireless communications link, a physical connection, a landline, a satellite communications link, an optical communications link, a cellular network or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         43 . The system of  claim 39 , wherein communications between the server and one or more of the one or more clients are encrypted.