System and method for electronic certification and authentication of data

1. A method for authenticating data, the method comprising:

receiving data individually encrypted in a first encryption layer by each of a plurality of users each user using a different user-specific private key, the data comprising a hash code for each user, each hash code generated based on at least the same document;

encrypting the received individually encrypted data together in a second encryption layer to create multi-layered encrypted data wherein the second encryption layer is encrypted using an organization-specific private key uniquely assigned to an organization; and

transferring the multi-layered encrypted data to a device that has an organization-specific public key for decrypting the second encryption layer and public keys that only decrypt data encrypted by private keys assigned to a plurality of pre-designated authorizers to determine if the users are the pre-designated authorizers.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of authorizers are pre-designated by a data manager.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein changes to the pre-designated authorizers are able to be received from the data manager at any time prior to encrypting the second encryption layer.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising, if the data manager attempts to change the pre-designated authorizers after the request to authenticate the data is received, sending the data manager a message indicating a lock out from editing the pre-designated authorizers.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein each hash code is generated based at least on information associated with an associated user.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the authorizers define individuals, groups, ranks, security levels, departments, or types of authorizers.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the encryption keys are asymmetric encryption keys.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising storing the multi-layered encrypted data at a secure server.

9. A method for authenticating original data, the method comprising:

receiving multi-layered encrypted data comprising a hash code for each of a plurality of users, each hash code generated based on at least the same document, wherein a first encryption layer is individually encrypted by a plurality of users each using a different user-specific private key, which is in turn combined and encrypted in a second encryption layer using an organization-specific private key uniquely assigned to an organization;

decrypting the second encryption layer to expose the first encryption layer using an organization-specific public key corresponding to the organization-specific private key;

attempting to decrypt the first encryption layer using public keys that only decrypt data encrypted by private keys assigned to a plurality of authorizers pre-designated to authenticate the data; and

determining that the users are the pre-designated authorizers only if the first encryption layer is properly decrypted using the authorizers' decryption keys.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of authorizers are pre-designated by a data manager.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein changes to the pre-designated authorizers are able to be received from the data manager at any time prior to encrypting the second encryption layer.

12. The method of claim 9 , comprising determining that the original data is not corrupted if decrypting the first encryption layer generates hash codes having substantially no errors.

13. A system for authenticating data, the system comprising:

a memory to store multi-layered encrypted data comprising a hash code for each of a plurality of users, each hash code generated based on at least the same document, wherein a first encryption layer is individually encrypted by a plurality of users each using a different user-specific private key, which in turn is combined and encrypted in an encryption layer using an organization-specific private key uniquely assigned to an organization; and

a processor to transfer the multi-layered encrypted data to a beneficiary device, wherein the beneficiary device is adapted to:

decrypt the second encryption layer to expose the first encryption layer using an organization-specific public key corresponding to the organization-specific private key, attempt to decrypt the first encryption layer using public keys that only decrypt data encrypted by private keys assigned to a plurality of authorizers pre-designated to authenticate the data, and determine that the users are the pre-designated authorizers only if the first encryption layer is properly decrypted using the authorizers' decryption keys.

14. The system of claim 13 comprising a certificate authority to issue each user their user-specific private keys and to issue the corresponding public keys for use by the beneficiary device.

15. The system of claim 13 comprising a device operated by a data manager to pre-designate the plurality of authorizers.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the device operated by a data manager is able to change the pre-designated authorizers at any time prior to the encryption of the encryption layer.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the beneficiary device determines that the original data is not corrupted if decrypting the first encryption layer generates hash codes having substantially no errors.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the second layer comprises information associated with an entity designated to encrypt the second layer.

19. The method of claim 9 , wherein each hash code is generated based at least on information associated with an associated user.

20. The system of claim 13 , wherein each hash code is generated based at least on information associated with an associated user.