Patent ID: 8612750

Claim:
A method for providing secure communication for a virtual universe client of a virtual universe, the method comprising: monitoring a communication stream to and from the virtual universe client by a proxy component between the virtual universe client and a hosting network hosting the virtual universe, the communication stream comprising communication between avatars in the virtual universe, in which the virtual universe simulates one or more real world rules including at least one of gravity, topography, or locomotion, and in which users of the virtual universe interact with the simulated one or more real world rules thereof via the avatars; and selectively encrypting a data packet of the communication stream, the data packet being sent by the virtual universe client to a destination, the selectively encrypting comprising: encrypting the data packet with one or more public keys of one or more servers of the hosting network along a data path through which the data packet is to be transmitted to the destination; and transmitting the encrypted data packet to a first server of the one or more servers of the hosting network; wherein at least one data packet of the communication stream not selected for encryption passes to the virtual universe absent encryption.