Method and apparatus for effecting a data-based activity

1. A method for effecting a data-based activity via a network, the method comprising:

by a coordinating network element that manages a protocol:

receiving, via the network and from a requesting network element comprising one of:

a network element that is acting within an attestor role; and

at least one secondary network element that is acting within a requestor role, a protocol-compliant request regarding data information comprising at least one of:

at least one reference to a data content, as representative of a content of the data information;

at least one reference to a data type;

a reference to an entity; and

data information associated with an entity;

wherein the protocol prohibits the coordinating network element that manages the protocol from substantively accessing tokenized data information corresponding to a tokenization of at least part of the data information that, at least in part, underlies the protocol-compliant request;

wherein when the requesting network element is the network element that is acting within the attestor role, the method further comprises:

facilitating, at least in part via the protocol, as an attestor authorization operation, authorizing the requesting network element to make at least part of the tokenized data information asynchronously available for data-based processing wherein the tokenized data information is sourced via the requesting network element and wherein when, as a sourcing operation, the tokenized data information is sourced as indirect data, the sourcing operation entails derivation of the data information associated with an entity from data received by the requesting network element from the entity as an initial data source, and wherein an identity of each of the at least one secondary network element that is acting within the requestor role is blinded from the requesting network element; and

wherein when the requesting network element is a secondary network element of the at least one secondary network element that is acting within the requestor role, the method further comprises:

facilitating, at least in part via the protocol, as a requestor authorization operation, authorization of the secondary network element to process the tokenized data information previously sourced from another requesting network element, wherein an identity of the another requesting network element is blinded from the secondary network element.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data-based processing comprises at least one of:

transference of the data content, as data content that was previously attested to, wherein successful transference is contingent on matching on one or more tokens representative of the data information associated with the entity as common to both attestor and requestor; and

corroboration of the data content, as candidate data content, against data content that was previously attested to, wherein successful corroboration comprises matching on one or more tokens representative of the data content as common to both attestor and requestor.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the corroboration of the data content against the data content that was previously attested to comprises, at least in part, as the sourcing operation, sourcing the tokenized data information from the requesting network element, as the secondary network element of the at least one secondary network element that is acting within the requestor role, wherein when the tokenized data information is sourced as indirect data the sourcing operation entails derivation of the data information associated with the entity from data received by the requesting network element from the entity as the initial data source.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the protocol-compliant request comprises a plurality of discrete messages.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the attestor authorization operation comprises, at least in part, generating verifiable permissions that advise relayers that a requesting network element acting within the attestor role is authorized, as a storage operation, to store content in relayer-accessible storage comprising at least one of cryptographic parameters, data, and metadata instrumental to enabling at least one of the transference of the data content and the corroboration of the data content.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the storing of the content in the relayer-accessible storage, as the storage operation, comprises storing parts of the content in at least one of:

plaintext form; and

encrypted form.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the content comprises stored values that are configured to serve as at least one of:

decryption tokens, which is used to transfer the data content, that represent at least one of ciphertext and cryptographic parameters generated by the requesting network element acting within the attestor role; and

at least one of cryptographic parameters and metadata that are applied together with data to configure comparison tokens, which is used to corroborate the data content, such that a determination is made regarding whether there is a match of comparison tokens representing candidate data processed by the requesting network element, as the secondary network element of the at least one secondary network element that is acting within the requestor role, using the stored values against comparison tokens representing a result of processing data contributed by the requesting network element acting within the attestor role.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the content comprises a collection of shares such that a threshold number of such shares enables reconstruction of the content, and wherein the shares are distributed across a plurality of relayers by the requesting network element acting within the attestor role.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the requestor authorization operation comprises, at least in part, generation of verifiable permissions that advise at least one relayer that the requesting network element, as the secondary network element of the at least one secondary network element that is acting within the requestor role, is authorized to retrieve from relayer-accessible storage, in plaintext or encrypted form, content comprising at least one of cryptographic parameters, data, and metadata.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the tokenized data information comprises tokens that are generated using at least one secret which is unavailable to the coordinating network element.

11. An apparatus configured to effect a data-based activity via a network, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface;

a control circuit configured as a coordinating network element that manages a protocol by:

receiving via the network interface and from a requesting network element comprising one of:

a network element that is acting within an attestor role; and

at least one secondary network element that is acting within a requestor role; and a protocol-compliant request regarding data information comprising at least one of:

at least one reference to a data content, as representative of a content of the data information;

reference data type;

at least one reference to an entity; and

data information associated with an entity;

wherein the protocol prohibits the coordinating network element that manages the protocol from substantively accessing tokenized data information corresponding to a tokenization of at least part of the data information that, at least in part, underlies the protocol-compliant request;

wherein when the requesting network element is the network element that is acting within the attestor role, the apparatus is further configured to facilitate, at least in part via the protocol, as an attestor authorization operation, authorizing the requesting network element to make at least part of the tokenized data information asynchronously available for data-based processing wherein the tokenized data information is sourced via the requesting network element and wherein when, as a sourcing operation, the tokenized data information is sourced as indirect data, the sourcing operation entails derivation of the data information associated with an entity from data received by the requesting network element from the entity as an initial data source, and wherein an identity of each of the at least one secondary network element that is acting within the requestor role is blinded from the requesting network element; and

wherein when the requesting network element is a secondary network element of the at least one secondary network element that is acting within the requestor role, the apparatus is further configured to facilitate, at least in part via the protocol, as a requestor authorization operation, authorization of the secondary network element to process the tokenized data information previously sourced from another requesting network element, wherein an identity of the another requesting network element is blinded from the secondary network element.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the data-based processing comprises at least one of:

transference of the data content, as data content that was previously attested to, wherein successful transference is contingent on matching on one or more tokens representative of the data information associated with the entity as common to both attestor and requestor; and

corroboration of the data content, as candidate data content, against data content that was previously attested to, wherein successful corroboration comprises matching on one or more tokens representative of the data content as common to both attestor and requestor.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the corroboration of the data content against the data content that was previously attested to comprises, at least in part, as the sourcing operation, sourcing the tokenized data information from the requesting network element, as the secondary network element of the at least one secondary network element that is acting within the requestor role, wherein when the tokenized data information is sourced as indirect data the sourcing operation entails derivation of the data information associated with the entity from data received by the requesting network element from the entity as the initial data source.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the protocol-compliant request comprises a plurality of discrete messages.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the attestor authorization operation comprises, at least in part, generating verifiable permissions that advise relayers that a requesting network element acting within the attestor role is authorized, as a storage operation, to store content in relayer-accessible storage comprising at least one of cryptographic parameters, data, and metadata instrumental to enabling at least one of the transference of the data content and the corroboration of the data content.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the storing of the content in the relayer-accessible storage, as the storage operation, comprises storing parts of the content in at least one of:

plaintext form; and

encrypted form.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the content comprises stored values that are configured to serve as at least one of:

decryption tokens, which is used to transfer the data content, that represent at least one of ciphertext and cryptographic parameters generated by the requesting network element acting within the attestor role; and

at least one of cryptographic parameters and metadata that are applied together with data to configure comparison tokens, which is used to corroborate the data content, such that a determination is made regarding whether there is a match of comparison tokens representing candidate data processed by the requesting network element, as the secondary network element of the at least one secondary network element that is acting within the requestor role, using the stored values against comparison tokens representing a result of processing data contributed by the requesting network element acting within the attestor role.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the content comprises a collection of shares such that a threshold number of such shares enables reconstruction of the content, and wherein the shares are distributed across a plurality of relayers by the requesting network element acting within the attestor role.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the requestor authorization operation comprises, at least in part, generation of verifiable permissions that advise at least one relayer that the requesting network element, as the secondary network element of the at least one secondary network element that is acting within the requestor role is authorized to retrieve from relayer-accessible storage, in plaintext or encrypted form, content comprising at least one of cryptographic parameters, data, and metadata.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the tokenized data information comprises tokens that are generated using at least one secret which is unavailable to the coordinating network element.