VERIFYING A PERSONAL CHARACTERISTIC OF USERS OF ONLINE RESOURCES

摘要

Access to an electronically accessible resource provided for a defined demographic group is controlled. A cryptographic Private Key is securely stored in a storage device of a user, whether a multi-function storage device or a device dedicated for this purpose. A Public Key Certificate corresponding to the Private Key is also issued to the user. The Public Key Certificate contains data that indicates that the user is a member of the defined demographic group. The Public Key Certificate is signed by or on behalf of a Trusted Third Party trusted to attest to the user being a member of the defined demographic group. An access control system associated with the electronically accessible resource uses the Public Key Certificate to verify that the user is eligible to access the electronically accessible resource by virtue of possessing the demographic characteristic. A Root Certification Authority for broad deployment of the infrastructure is also provided.