Secure electronic mail system
An e-mail system is disclosed that overcomes many deficiencies of, but is backward compatible with, existing e-mail systems. Embodiments of the system may include various features, including but not limited to: (1) secure transfer of e-mail messages, without the need for users to replace existing e-mail clients or to change e-mail addresses; (2) tracking of all actions performed in connection with an e-mail transmission; (3) the ability for a recipient to view information about an e-mail message, optionally including information about how other addressees have responded to it, before deciding whether to retrieve the e-mail message; (4) the aggregation of entire e-mail conversations into a single threaded view; (5) the ability to include both private and public messages in a single e-mail communication; (6) sender control over downstream actions performed in connection with an e-mail message; (7) flexible control over cryptographic methods used to encrypt emails messages for storage.
1. A computer-implemented method of providing multiple private e-mail networks, the method comprising:
providing a first private e-mail network comprising a first configuration;
providing a second private e-mail network comprising a second configuration;
receiving, at a server system, an e-mail message addressed to a recipient from a sender, the sender being a member of the first private e-mail network and the second private e-mail network, the e-mail message being associated with either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network selected on a per message basis by the sender;
storing the e-mail message in an encrypted form on the server system, the encrypted form defined by the configuration of the selected private e-mail network;
if the recipient is a member of the selected private e-mail network, providing the e-mail message to the recipient; and
if the recipient is not a member of the selected private e-mail network, providing the e-mail message to the recipient after the recipient has registered with the selected private e-mail network.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first configuration and the second configuration each respectively comprises security, encryption, and storage options.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein an e-mail address of the sender is associated with both the first private e-mail network and the second private e-mail network.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first e-mail address of the sender is associated with the first private e-mail network, and wherein a second e-mail address of the sender is associated with the second private e-mail network.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, if the recipient is not a member of the selected private e-mail network, transmitting, or causing the transmission of, a substitute message to the recipient, the substitute message lacking at least some message content of the e-mail message, and including a link to a component that provides functionality for the recipient to securely retrieve the e-mail message from the server system.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network is selected via a toolbar of an e-mail client plug-in.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network is selected via an e-mail client user interface.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the e-mail client user interface comprises a web-based e-mail interface.
9. A secure e-mail server system, comprising:
a logic subsystem; and
a data-holding subsystem comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by the logic subsystem to:
provide a first private e-mail network comprising a first configuration;
provide a second private e-mail network comprising a second configuration;
receive from a remote client an e-mail message addressed to a recipient from a sender, the sender being a member of the first private e-mail network and the second private e-mail network, the e-mail message being associated with either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network selected on a per message basis by the sender;
store the e-mail message in an encrypted form defined by the configuration of the selected private e-mail network;
if the recipient is a member of the selected private e-mail network, provide the e-mail message to the recipient; and
if the recipient is not a member of the selected private e-mail network, provide the e-mail message to the recipient after the recipient has registered with the selected private e-mail network.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first configuration and the second configuration each respectively comprises security, encryption, and storage options.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein an e-mail address of the sender is associated with both the first private e-mail network and the second private e-mail network.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein a first e-mail address of the sender is associated with the first private e-mail network, and wherein a second e-mail address of the sender is associated with the second private e-mail network.
13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising, if the recipient is not a member of the selected private e-mail network, transmitting, or causing the transmission of, a substitute message to the recipient, the substitute message lacking at least some message content of the e-mail message, and including a link to a component that provides functionality for the recipient to securely retrieve the e-mail message from the server system.
14. The method of claim 9 , wherein either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network is selected via a toolbar of an e-mail client plug-in.
15. The method of claim 9 , wherein either the first private e-mail network or the second private e-mail network is selected via an e-mail client user interface.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the e-mail client user interface comprises a web-based e-mail interface.