Website Integrity and Date Verification with a Blockchain

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed which use a block chain (“blockchain”) to enable the establishment of file dates and the absence of tampering, even for documents held in secrecy and those stored in uncontrolled environments, but which does not require trusting a timestamping authority or document archival service. In an exemplary operation, an internet browser retrieves a website document, hashes at least a portion of the website document to produce a first hash value, retrieves blockchain registration data for the website document; compares the first hash value with a second hash value found in a blockchain; and responsive to the first and second hash values matching, displays a verification indication. Some embodiments may be used as parental controls for internet browsers.

1 . A computer implemented method of using a blockchain to verify the integrity of a website document, the method executable by a processor, the method comprising:
 with an internet browser, retrieving a website document;   hashing at least a portion of the website document to produce a first hash value;   with the internet browser, retrieving blockchain registration data for the website document;   comparing the first hash value with a second hash value found in a blockchain; and   responsive to the first and second hash values matching, displaying a verification indication.   
     
     
         2 . A computer implemented method of verifying age and integrity of a visited website page, the method executable by a processor, the method comprising:
 receiving at least a portion of the page into a non-transitory computer readable medium in a computing resource from across a public computer network;   identifying a claimed date associated with the page;   generating a first integrity verification code (IVC) for the page;   selecting a closed a document dating list (DDL) edition in which to search for an IVC matching the first IVC, wherein a closing date of the DDL edition corresponds to the claimed date;   searching, within the closed DDL edition, for the matching IVC; and   responsive to identifying the matching IVC within the closed DDL edition, generating a report indicating to a user of the computing resource that the claimed date has been verified.   
     
     
         3 . A computer implemented method of verifying age and integrity of a data unit, the method executable by a processor, the method comprising:
 receiving the data unit in an email inbox;   with the processor, hashing the data unit to generate a first hash, the first hash being a unique cryptographic identifier of the data unit;   generating a cryptographic structure based on first hash, wherein generating the cryptographic structure comprises submitting the first hash to a block comprising a listing of hashes; and   providing a proof associated with the data unit, the proof including an index describing a position of the first hash among one or more other hashes in the first cryptographic structure; and   after closure of the block comprising a listing of hashes, identifying, with the processor, a provable date of the block comprising a listing of hashes.