Patent ID: 8767966

Claim:
A system, comprising: a computer system executing a centralized communication key service; and one or more computer systems executing distributed communication key services, wherein: the centralized communication key service communicates a secure communication key for broadcasting and multicasting information over a network amongst participants to each of the one or more distributed communication key services, wherein the centralized communication key service embeds the secure communication key in an initial broadcast value that includes a product representing unique prime numbers for each of the one or more distributed communication key services and another additional number plus the secure communication key, wherein each of the one or more distributed communication key services represents the secure communication key in a broadcast value for a particular subset of the participants, wherein only members of the particular subset can derive the broadcast value, and wherein each distributed communication key service makes a version of the broadcast value by: acquiring identities of each participant in the particular subset of participants that the distributed communication key service handles, acquiring the unique prime number for each participant in the particular subset of participants that the distributed communication key service handles, and acquiring the secure communication key.