a method and apparatus for controlling access to digital information utilizes a location identity attribute that defines a specific geographic location . the location identity attribute is associated with the digital information such that the digital information can be accessed only at the specific geographic location . the location identity attribute further includes a location value and a proximity value . the location value corresponds to a location of an intended recipient appliance of the digital information , and may be further defined in terms of latitude , longitude and altitude dimensions . the location identity attribute is enforced by allowing access to the digital information only at the specific geographic location . as a first part of this enforcement process , the location of an appliance through which access to the digital information is sought is identified . the appliance location is then compared to the specific geographic location defined by the location identity attribute , and access to the digital information is allowed only if the appliance location falls within the specific geographic location . there are many ways to identify the location of the appliance , including : resolving the appliance location from a street address for the appliance ; retrieving the appliance location from a file stored within the appliance ; recovering the appliance location from a gps receiver embedded in the appliance ; and recovering the appliance location by triangulating rf signals received by the appliance .