Patent ID: 8707394

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for limiting distribution of one or more resources in a network of users to defined users, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a network of users; assigning to each of said users in said network a criterion, wherein said criterion is related to a degree of separation between a first user and one or more other users, the degree of separation representative of the number of pre-existing relationships of trust which link one user and one or more other users, as defined by said users; authenticating, identifying and verifying said first user and each of the one or more other users; processing the degree of separation between said first user and one or more other users; and granting access to a resource of a first user to one or more other users if the one or more other users falls within a degree of separation of the first user sharing the resource which is specified by the first user, and wherein granting of access to the resource by the one or more other users to a subsequent user is allowed if the subsequent user falls within the degree of separation from the first user that is specified by the first user.