A policy system includes the policy server (2617); a policy database (2619) which located at policy decision point (2723); the access/response entity (2603); resource server (2711); policy message (2725) and policy enforcement point (2721). System connected through public network (2702) or internal network (103). The access filter (107, 203, 403) control access by use a local copy of an access control data base to determine whether an access request made by a user. Changes made by administrators in the local copies are propagated to all of the other local copies. Access is permitted or denied according to of access policies (307) which define access in terms of the user groups (FIGS. 9-12) and information sets (FIGS. 13A-18). The rights of administrators are similarly determined by administrative policies (FIGS. 23A-C). Access is further permitted only if the trust levels of the network by which is made by the sufficient access (FIGS. 25-29). A policy server component of the access filter has been separated from the access filter and the policies have been generalized to permit administrators of the policy server to define new types of actions and new types of entities. Policies may now further have specifications for time intervals during which the policies are in force and the entities may be associated with attributes that specify how the entity is to be used when the policy applies.