Tracking network data propagation

A method of tracking electronic communications via a computer network between a plurality of interconnected propagating devices, the method comprising:

• under control of a physical computing device comprising digital logic circuitry:
• generating first data to be propagated via a computer network between a plurality of propagating devices, each of the plurality of propagating devices being configured to communicate the first data to one or more other of the plurality of propagating devices;
• initializing in a memory a tracking value to a first value, an adjustment value to a second value, and a threshold value to a third value according to an initialization instruction provided by a first monitoring device of a plurality of monitoring devices via the computer network, the first data being associated in the memory with the tracking value, the adjustment value, and the threshold value, the plurality of monitoring devices being different from the plurality of propagating devices;
• receiving a plurality of first notifications via the computer network from at least one of the plurality of propagating devices, each of the plurality of first notifications indicating that a first propagating device of the plurality of propagating devices communicated the first data via the computer network to at least one other propagating device of the plurality of propagating devices in response to at least one user operation by a user of the first propagating device, wherein the plurality of first notifications are not received via the computer network from the plurality of monitoring devices;
• in response to receiving each of at least some of the plurality of first notifications,
• retrieving from the memory the tracking value and the threshold value,
• determining whether the tracking value has reached the threshold value,
• in response to determining that the tracking value has not reached the threshold value, increasing the tracking value in the memory based at least on the adjustment value, and
• in response to determining that the tracking value has reached the threshold value, maintaining the tracking value in the memory unchanged;
• communicating to a second monitoring device of the plurality of monitoring devices via the computer network the tracking value for presentation on a display to a user of the second monitoring device in response to a status query from the second monitoring device via the computer network, the status query requesting the tracking value;
• and
• in response to receiving a tracking command from one of the plurality of monitoring devices via the computer network, either (i) decreasing the tracking value or (ii) changing a tracking mode for the first propagating device so that each of the plurality of first notifications that are subsequently received are processed without causing the tracking value in the memory to increase, the tracking command identifying the first propagating device.