Patent ID: 8464328

Claim:
A method of protecting personal data read from a user terminal station by a server, comprising the steps of: storing, in a computer-readable memory at the user terminal station, private policy data including a plurality of personal data items and at least one usage rule associated with each personal data item from the plurality of personal data items; receiving, at the user terminal, server policy data transmitted from the server, the server policy data including a request for a personal data item stored in said computer-readable memory and indicating a desired use of said requested personal data item; comparing the server policy data received from said server with said private policy data stored in said computer-readable memory to determine if the desired use of said personal data item requested by said server complies with the at least one usage rule stored in said computer-readable memory associated with said personal data item; determining whether said desired use of said personal data requested by said server complies with the at least one usage rule associated with said personal data item; if said desired use of said personal data requested by said server complies with the at least one usage rule associated with said personal data item, determining a signature for signing the server policy data received in the user terminal station; and transmitting, to the server, the signature for the server policy data and the requested personal data item when said desired use of said personal data requested by said server complies with the at least one usage rule associated with said personal data item.