A method for managing content caches distributed on a network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving at a gateway that belongs to a set of one or more gateways, a first control signal specifying an action related to a first content provided by a first content publisher of a plurality of content publishers and cached at a plurality of locations distributed on the network, wherein the first content is a web page, music, video, or electronic book; validating the first control signal by verifying that the first control signal originated from a first entity particularly authorized to specify a first action related to the first content that is cached at the plurality of locations; causing the first control signal to be transmitted from the gateway to the plurality of locations for the first action to be performed on the first content at the plurality of locations; receiving at the gateway that belongs to the set of one or more gateways, a second control signal specifying an action related to a second content provided by a second content publisher of the plurality of content publishers and cached at the plurality of locations distributed on the network, wherein the second content is a web page, music, video, or electronic book; validating the second control signal by verifying that the second control signal originated from a second entity particularly authorized to specify a second action related to the second content that is cached at the plurality of locations; and causing the second control signal to be transmitted from the gateway to the plurality of locations for the second action to be performed on the second content at the plurality of locations. receiving at a gateway that belongs to a set of one or more gateways, a first control signal specifying an action related to a first content provided by a first content publisher of a plurality of content publishers and cached at a plurality of locations distributed on the network, wherein the first content is a web page, music, video, or electronic book; validating the first control signal by verifying that the first control signal originated from a first entity particularly authorized to specify a first action related to the first content that is cached at the plurality of locations; causing the first control signal to be transmitted from the gateway to the plurality of locations for the first action to be performed on the first content at the plurality of locations; receiving at the gateway that belongs to the set of one or more gateways, a second control signal specifying an action related to a second content provided by a second content publisher of the plurality of content publishers and cached at the plurality of locations distributed on the network, wherein the second content is a web page, music, video, or electronic book; validating the second control signal by verifying that the second control signal originated from a second entity particularly authorized to specify a second action related to the second content that is cached at the plurality of locations; and causing the second control signal to be transmitted from the gateway to the plurality of locations for the second action to be performed on the second content at the plurality of locations.