Abstract: Digital assets stored on an asset server by an asset owner are protected without a password. Instead, the digital assets are functionally handicapped by removing at least a portion of digital data (or a key) associated with the digital asset and discarding the key after being sent to an enabling device. The portion of digital data (or a key) is then handicapped by the enabling device by a cryptographic key which is formed from a human gesture and subsequently discarded. When access to the digital asset is requested, an asset owner is notified by the enabling device for approval. A human gesture from the asset owner first provides a key to reconstitute the digital data portion which is transmitted to the asset server to reconstitute the digital asset upon which the access is granted and logged.