Obfuscating data in distributed data storage systems and network communications

A method for writing and reading information in a distributed network data storage system comprising, for each of one or more data blocks of the information, the steps of:

• (a) writing the data block of the information to the distributed network data storage system by
• (i) using erasure code, encoding the data block of the information to generate an encoded data block comprising both parity data and the data block, and
• (ii) distributing for storage portions of a subset of the encoded data block across a plurality of network storage locations of the distributed network data storage system such that the encoded data block is not stored in its entirety at any one of the plurality of network storage locations, wherein the subset comprises less than all of the data block and said distributing comprises communicating each portion of the subset of the encoded data block over a network to one of the plurality of network storage locations;
• and
• (b) reading the data block of the information from the distributed network data storage system by
• (i) retrieving the distributed portions of the subset of the encoded data block from the plurality of network storage locations of the distributed network data storage system,
• (ii) reconstituting the subset of the encoded data block from the distributed portions that are retrieved, and
• (iii) using the erasure code, decoding the data block from the reconstituted subset of the encoded data block.

A method for storing and accessing information in a distributed network data storage system, comprising:

• (a) using erasure code, encoding a data block of the information to generate an encoded data block comprising both parity data and the data block;
• (b) making alterations to a subset of the encoded data block such that the data block cannot be decoded using the erasure code, the subset comprising less than all of the data block;
• (c) distributing for storage portions of the altered subset of the encoded data block across a plurality of network storage locations such that the altered subset of the encoded data block is not stored in its entirety at any one of the plurality of network storage locations, wherein said distributing comprises communicating each portion of the altered subset of the encoded data block over a network to one of the plurality of network storage locations;
• (d) retrieving the distributed portions of the altered subset of the encoded data block from the plurality of network storage locations of the distributed network data storage system;
• (e) reconstituting the altered subset of the encoded data block from the distributed portions that are retrieved;
• (f) reversing the alterations made to the reconstituted altered subset of the encoded data block to restore the subset of the encoded data block;
• and
• (g) using the erasure code, decoding the data block from the reconstituted subset of the encoded data block.