Distributed Data Access Control

A method for data access control, comprising:

• maintaining a first distributed database, the first distributed database comprising for each of a plurality of users, a master public key and at least one data storage location on one of a plurality of content provider systems;
• maintaining a second distributed database, the second distributed database comprising, for each of a plurality of entities, data identifying users whose data is available to be accessed, and data recording accesses of user data by entities;
• receiving a request for user data from a requesting entity;
• querying the second distributed database to determine users whose data is accessible to the requesting entity;
• querying the first distributed database to determine, for each of the determined users whose data is accessible to the requesting entity, one or more storage locations on a plurality of content provider systems;
• retrieving data from the determined one or more storage locations on the plurality of content provider systems;
• and
• recording in the second distributed database the requesting entity has accessed the retrieved data.

A method for data control, comprising:

• receiving a request for user data from a requesting entity;
• querying a first distributed database to determine users whose data is accessible to the requesting entity, the first distributed database comprising, for each of a plurality of entities, data identifying users whose data is available to be accessed, and data recording accesses of user data by entities;
• querying a second distributed database to determine, for each of the determined users whose data is accessible to the requesting entity, one or more storage locations on a plurality of content provider systems;
• retrieving data from the determined one or more storage locations on the plurality of content provider systems;
• and
• recording in the first distributed database the requesting entity has accessed the retrieved data.