Patent ID: 8868521

Claim:
A method for improving security in distributing electronic documents on data communication networks, the method comprising: using a processor as part of classifying a document according to a communication path that defines a set of different ways to send the document, wherein the communication path for the document comprises a record for each communication of the document to trusted and untrusted recipients including each of different and previous ways the document has been sent to different recipients that each have a trust level that includes different trust levels from untrusted to trusted, in a final or intermediate form, before a point in time where compliance is being evaluated, wherein the communication path for the document is further defined in part as an aggregated value that includes a count of recipients of the document and a count for each defined category of users; computing, using the processor, at the time where compliance is being evaluated, a degree of sensitivity of the document based in part on the communication path to distribute the document determined in part using each of the trust levels of each of the different recipients that are included in the communication path for the document; applying, using the processor, the degree of sensitivity to monitor and limit distribution of the document; and storing each communication of the document associated with the communication path and creating a searchable index from each stored communication.