Website Integrity and Date of Existence Verification

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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer implemented method of verifying the integrity of a website document, the method executable by a processor, the method comprising:
 with an internet browser, retrieving a website document, wherein the document is a single digital file comprising an html document;   hashing at least a portion of the website document, less than the entirety of the document, to produce a first hash value, wherein hashing at least a portion of the document comprises excluding at least a hyperlink or an advertisement from the hashing;   retrieving registration data for the document from a second website different than the first website, the registration data indicating a first computer file within a set of files, wherein the first computer file contains a record for the document identified by the registration data and a record for at least one other document, and wherein files of the set of files are iteratively chained using hash values such that a hash value of one file of the set of files appears within a subsequent file of the set of files;   comparing the first hash value with a second hash value found in the record for the document identified by the registration data; and   responsive to the first and second hash values matching, displaying, by the internet browser, a verification indication.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1   wherein the document comprises at least one html tag to demark content for which a hash value is to be generated, and   wherein hashing at least a portion of the document comprises hashing the demarked content, which is less than the entirety of the document.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 querying, by the browser, for the registration data in a common folder with the document. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 querying, by the browser, for the registration data in a folder containing other registration data for other documents in other folders on the website. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 identifying, by the browser, a date of a block in which the second hash value appears; and 
 reporting, by the browser, the date of the block as a date of existence of the document. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising:
 verifying, by the browser, the date of the block with a trusted entity, wherein reporting the date of the block as the date of existence of the document comprises, responsive to verifying the date of the block with the trusted entity, reporting the date of the block as the date of existence of the document. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 providing a search engine; and 
 accepting a registration in an iteratively chained set of files, located at the second website, as search criteria for the document. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising:
 hashing, by an operator of the search engine, at least a portion of the document to produce a third hash value; 
 comparing the third hash value with the second hash value; and 
 responsive to the third and second hash values matching, and responsive to search criteria specifying registration in an iteratively chained set of files, identifying the document in search results. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first hash value comprises at least a portion of each of two message digests, each message digest from a different hash function. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the second hash value appears within a record within an iteratively chained set of files, and wherein the record further comprises at least one value selected from the list consisting of:
 a timestamp, a record generator version number, and a record index indicating a position of the record within the block. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the document comprises at least one file type selected from the list consisting of:
 an html document, a portable document format (PDF) document, an executable file, and a compressed file. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the browser hashes the at least a portion of the website document, retrieves the registration data for the document from the second website, and compares the first hash value with the second hash value. 
     
     
         13 . A computer implemented method of verifying the integrity of a website document, the method executable by a processor, the method comprising:
 with an internet browser, retrieving a website document, wherein the document is a single digital file comprising an html document;   hashing at least a portion of the website document, less than the entirety of the document, to produce a first hash value, wherein hashing at least a portion of the document comprises excluding at least a hyperlink or an advertisement from the hashing;   retrieving registration data for the document from a second website different than the first website, the registration data indicating a first computer file within a set of files, wherein the first computer file contains a record for the document identified by the registration data and a record for at least one other document, and wherein files of the set of files are iteratively chained using hash values such that a hash value of one file of the set of files appears within a subsequent file of the set of files, and wherein the set of files that are iteratively chained using hash values comprises a blockchain;   comparing the first hash value with a second hash value found in the record for the document identified by the registration data; and   responsive to the first and second hash values matching, displaying, by the internet browser, a verification indication.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising:
 providing a search engine; and 
 accepting a registration in the blockchain as search criteria for the document.