Patent ID: 8386796

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: a chip implemented in the information processing apparatus to independently perform a predetermined process, the chip including: a storage unit that stores user signature information including biometric information of a user in association with a key for generating an electronic signature of the user for information created by the user and an encryption key that is unique to the chip for encrypting information that is output from the chip to the information processing apparatus; an electronic signature adding unit that, when obtaining the biometric information and the information created by the user, searches the user signature information corresponding to the biometric information obtained, generates a message digest from the information created by the user, encrypts the message digest with the key found in the user signature information to generate the electronic signature of the user, and adds the electronic signature of the user to the information created by the user; and an encrypt processing unit that encrypts the information created by the user with the encryption key that is unique to the chip, where the information created by the user is transmitted to a destination with the electronic signature of the user added.