Princeton University researchers said the architecture allows the transmission of sensitive information during such instances as natural disasters, fires or terrorist attacks.

The system -- called a transient-trust -- prevents the information from being intercepted by others and access stops as soon as the recipient no longer has need for it. Data provided on a transient-trust basis might include floor plans of a building, medical information about occupants or satellite maps of a given area.

The study, led by Professor Ruby Lee, was presented in Alexandria, Va., during a conference last month held by the Association for Computing Machinery Computer and Communications Security.