Dissemination and tracking of documents with downstream control

A document linking system, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
• receive a document creation request from a creating user via a user selection of a graphical user interface (GUI) object integrated into an application managed by a document delivery system, wherein the at least one processor has provided instructions to the document delivery system to generate the GUI object;
• receive, from the creating user, a document and a digital key of the creating user;
• encrypt the document into an encrypted document using the digital key;
• generate, at the document linking system, a document token associated with the document, wherein the document token is derived from a cryptographic hash of (i) content of the document and at least one of:
• (ii) a file structure or header of the document or (iii) metadata associated with the document including one or more of ownership information, participants, or event data, and wherein the document token functions as a persistent control layer enabling enforcement of access permissions, tracking of downstream dissemination, and revocation of the document independent of its transmission path;
• create, at the document linking system, a link corresponding to the document token;
• embed, at the document linking system, an access control mechanism into metadata corresponding to the link, wherein the access control mechanism enables decryption of the encrypted document with an access credential and provides access to the document;
• transmit, to the document delivery system, the link to populate a message in the application, wherein accessing the link with the access credential provides access to the document.

A non-transitory computer-readable device having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to perform operations comprising:

• receiving, at a document linking system and from a creating user, a document creation request via a user selection of a graphical user interface (GUI) object integrated into an application managed by a document delivery system, wherein the document linking system has provided instructions to the document delivery system to generate the GUI object;
• receiving, at the document linking system and from the creating user, a document and a digital key of the creating user;
• encrypting, at the document linking system, the document into an encrypted document using the digital key;
• generating, at the document linking system, a document token associated with the document, wherein the document token is derived from a cryptographic hash of (i) content of the document and at least one of:
• (ii) a file structure or header of the document or (iii) metadata associated with the document including one or more of ownership information, participants, or event data, and wherein the document token functions as a persistent control layer enabling enforcement of access permissions, tracking of downstream dissemination, and revocation of the document independent of its transmission path;
• creating, at the document linking system, a link corresponding to the document token;
• embedding, at the document linking system, an access control mechanism into metadata corresponding to the link, wherein the access control mechanism enables decryption of the encrypted document with an access credential and provides access to the document;
• and
• transmitting, from the document linking system to the document delivery system, the link to populate a message in the application, wherein accessing the link with the access credential provides access to the document.

A computer implemented method, comprising:

• receiving, at a document linking system and from a first user device, a document creation request via a user selection of a graphical user interface (GUI) object generated by the document linking system;
• receiving, at the document linking system and from the first user device, a document and a digital key of the first user device;
• encrypting, at the document linking system, the document into an encrypted document using the digital key;
• generating, at the document linking system, a document token associated with the document, wherein the document token is derived from a cryptographic hash of (i) content of the document and at least one of:
• (ii) a file structure or header of the document or (iii) metadata associated with the document including one or more of ownership information, participants, or event data, and wherein the document token functions as a persistent control layer enabling enforcement of access permissions, tracking of downstream dissemination, and revocation of the document independent of its transmission path;
• creating, at the document linking system, a link corresponding to the document token;
• embedding, at the document linking system, an access control mechanism into metadata corresponding to the link, wherein the access control mechanism enables decryption of the encrypted document with an access credential and provides access to the document;
• and
• transmitting, from the document linking system, the graphical link to the first user device wherein accessing the graphical link with the access credential provides access to the document;
• receiving, at the document linking system, an access request from a second client device via a scan of the graphical link using a camera on the second client device, wherein the scan includes the access credential;
• logging, at the document linking system, the access request with one or more credentials corresponding to the second client device;
• and
• transmitting, at the document linking system, the document to the second client device.