Spectators in a peer-to-peer relay network

A method of relaying data in a peer-to-peer relay network, comprising:

• receiving data at a relaying peer system from a sending peer system connected to the relaying peer system in a peer-to-peer relay network, wherein said data has associated information identifying the origin peer system that generated said data;
• confirming said origin peer system is permitted to send data to be relayed through said peer-to-peer relay network;
• applying a set of one or more relay rules to select zero or more peer systems indicated by said set of one or more relay rules to which to relay said data;
• and
• relaying said data to any peer systems selected by applying said set of one or more relay rules;
• wherein each peer system in said peer-to-peer relay network is a participant or a spectator, and
• wherein the spectator is not authorized to generate new data to be relayed in the peer-to-peer network and the spectator is not authorized to send the new data to be relayed throughout the peer-to-peer network.

A peer system in a peer-to-peer relay network, comprising:

• means for receiving data at a relaying peer system from a sending peer system connected to the relaying peer system in a peer-to-peer relay network, wherein said data has associated information identifying the origin peer system that generated said data;
• means for confirming said origin peer system is permitted to send data to be relayed through said peer-to-peer relay network;
• means for applying a set of one or more relay rules to select zero or more peer systems indicated by said set of one or more relay rules to which to relay said data;
• and
• means for relaying said data to any peer systems selected by applying said set of one or more relay rules;
• wherein each peer system in said peer-to-peer relay network is a participant or a spectator, and
• wherein the spectator is not authorized to generate new data to be relayed in the peer-to-peer network and the spectator is not authorized to send the new data to be relayed throughout the peer-to-peer network.

A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a peer system in a peer-to-peer relay network, said method comprising step to:

• process received data at a relaying peer system from a sending peer system connected to the relaying peer system in a peer-to-peer relay network, wherein said data has associated information identifying the origin peer system that generated said data;
• confirm said origin peer system is permitted to send data to be relayed through said peer-to-peer relay network;
• apply a set of one or more relay rules to select zero or more peer systems indicated by said set of one or more relay rules to which to relay said data;
• and
• relay said data to any peer systems selected by applying said set of one or more relay rules;
• wherein each peer system in said peer-to-peer relay network is a participant or a spectator, and
• wherein the spectator is not authorized to generate new data to be relayed in the peer-to-peer network and the spectator is not authorized to send the new data to be relayed throughout the peer-to-peer network.