Transferring information between a vehicle based user device and a server to validate user information before granting internet access

Abstract

An entertainment and connectivity system includes a processor for transferring information between a vehicle based user device and a server to validate a user's government identity before granting the user device access to the internet. The vehicle based server has an internet protocol address and communicates with user devices. The user devices each have an onboard internet protocol address mapped to the internet protocol address of the vehicle based server. A processor associated with the vehicle based server receives requests for internet service originating from the user devices. The requests include travel information or internet subscription plan information for a user of each of the user devices. The vehicle based server, or a ground based server that receives the request, generates an internet connection authorization decision based on validation of the user's government identity or the user's internet subscription plan information. The connection authorization decisions are then used to control whether the internet connections are established to the user devices. If the internet connections are established, internet session information for the user devices, including for each user device the onboard internet protocol address mapped to the internet protocol address of the vehicle based server, is stored in a ground based server and can be retrieved to identify the government identity of a user or a user's internet subscription plan information for each of the user devices.