Method for certifying and verifying digital web content using public cryptography

Abstract

There is provided a method of, computer programs for and apparatus for providing and accessing digital content such as a news item. A news provider generates a news item, creates a digitally signed version of the news item and packages them together with a digital certificate issued by a certificate authority containing the public key required to decrypt the digitally signed version. The package is posted to a server and is transmitted, or made available or transmission, over a public data network together with a computer program for verifying the news item. A receiving party receives, over the public data network, the package at a client device and is provided with means for launching, and if necessary first downloading, the verifying program. The verifying program uses the public key contained in the certificate to verify the digitally signed news item. Before being first used to verify a news item, the verifying program receives a shared secret from the receiving party which is stored locally to the client device and is used by the verifying program to confirm that it performed the verification process.