Patent ID: 8744077

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving a unique pseudonym to be used for a service contract; performing enrollment with a service provider to enroll a user in the service contract with the service provider, wherein performing enrollment comprises: computing a transaction identifier corresponding to the service contract; generating a public key of a public-private key pair which is dependent at least on a specific time such that extraction of a private key of said public-private key pair is dependent on a cryptographic encoding of the specific time, wherein the cryptographic encoding will not be released until the specific time has passed, wherein the public-private key pair is further dependent on the unique pseudonym and the transaction identifier; producing a time capsule at least by encoding, using at the public key, at least a secret identity credential of the user using said public key and in accordance with a verifiable encryption process; and transmitting said time capsule through a data communications channel to the service provider, wherein generating, encoding and transmitting are performed prior to the specific time; in response to the user paying a bill that fulfills the service contract, performing a protocol with a first entity to prove payment for the service contract has been fulfilled, receiving proof from the first entity that payment for the service contract has been fulfilled, and publishing an indication of the proof to a second entity.