Patent ID: 8055536

Claim:
A computing device comprising: memory; and a processor operatively associated with the memory and configured to: obtain data associated with a consumer, the data including financial records associated with the consumer; obtain rules from the consumer, wherein the rules specify: an incentive to be received by the consumer in exchange for releasing the data to a service provider; and the release of the data; conduct an auction on behalf of the consumer with a plurality of service providers using the incentive, wherein the incentive is based on a service provided by ones of the plurality of service providers to the consumer in exchange for receiving the data; receive bids from the ones of the plurality of service providers that will provide the service based on the incentive; select a service provider based on the received bids from the ones of the plurality of service providers; package the data using a digital rights management (DRM) technique in accordance with the rules specifying the release of the data; release the packaged data to the service provider; receive the incentive from the service provider; and provide the incentive to the consumer.