Method and system for the supply of data, transactions and electronic voting

1. A method comprising:

determining by one or more computing devices a digital signature of a signing entity;

determining by the one or more computing devices a first period of validity for a digital empowerment certificate, the period of validity beginning earlier than a time of the generating the digital empowerment certificate;

generating by the one or more computing devices the digital empowerment certificate, including:

one or more attributes of a described entity,

one or more attributes of an electronic property,

one or more attributes identifying the signing entity,

the period of validity, and

the digital signature of the signing entity; and

sending by the one or more computing devices the electronic property and the digital empowerment certificate to a relying entity, wherein:

the digital signature was generated using a private key of a private/public key pair to sign the electronic property;

the generating by the digital empowerment certificate is based at least in part on information in a signature block of the electronic property;

the digital empowerment certificate further includes a second link corresponding to a first link of the electronic property, the second link including a serial number identifying the digital empowerment certificate and the one or more attributes of the electronic property; and

the empowerment certificate enables the relying entity to obtain the public key of the private/public key pair.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first period of validity of the digital empowerment certificate ends no later than the time of generation of the digital empowerment certificate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the described entity is the signing entity.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital empowerment certificate includes a time stamp indicating the time of the generating the digital empowerment certificate.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital empowerment certificate is generated after the generation of the digital signature.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the digital signature includes signed data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first period of validity is a period in which the digital signature is generated.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relying entity is identified in the digital empowerment certificate and the digital empowerment certificate includes information confirming a payment or debt due from the described entity identified in the digital certificate to the relying entity identified in the digital empowerment certificate.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating by the one or more computing devices a second digital empowerment certificate of a second signing entity, the second digital empowerment certificate including information indicating a guarantee of a debt indicated as due in the digital empowerment certificate.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more attributes of the described entity include:

an indication of data relating to the described entity which is to be supplied to the relying entity; and

an indication of one or more sources for the data relating to the described entity which is to be supplied to the relying entity.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising supplying information specifying data which is no longer authorized to the relying entity.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the data to be supplied to the relying entity includes a public key of the signing entity and an identifier of a current owner of the electronic property.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the method further comprises determining a second period of validity for transferring ownership of the electronic property; and

the generating the digital empowerment certificate further includes generating the digital empowerment certificate with the second period of validity.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second period of validity of the digital empowerment certificate is a finite period of use of the electronic property.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second period of validity of the digital empowerment certificate which is a permanent assignment of ownership of the electronic property.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, before generating the digital empowerment certificate:

obtaining the one or more attributes of the described entity;

obtaining the one or more attributes of the electronic property; and

obtaining the one or more attributes identifying the signing entity.