diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/AccountManager.cpp b/libraries/networking/src/AccountManager.cpp
index 7b49aebfe9..a8b88133d6 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/AccountManager.cpp
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/AccountManager.cpp
@@ -19,9 +19,11 @@
 #include <QtCore/QUrlQuery>
 #include <QtNetwork/QHttpMultiPart>
 #include <QtNetwork/QNetworkRequest>
+#include <qthread.h>
 
 #include "NodeList.h"
 #include "PacketHeaders.h"
+#include "RSAKeypairGenerator.h"
 
 #include "AccountManager.h"
 
@@ -417,6 +419,7 @@ void AccountManager::requestAccessTokenFinished() {
             }
 
             requestProfile();
+            generateNewKeypair();
         }
     } else {
         // TODO: error handling
@@ -478,3 +481,39 @@ void AccountManager::requestProfileError(QNetworkReply::NetworkError error) {
     // TODO: error handling
     qDebug() << "AccountManager requestProfileError - " << error;
 }
+
+void AccountManager::generateNewKeypair() {
+    // setup a new QThread to generate the keypair on, in case it takes a while
+    QThread* generateThread = new QThread(this);
+    
+    // setup a keypair generator
+    RSAKeypairGenerator* keypairGenerator = new RSAKeypairGenerator();
+    
+    connect(generateThread, &QThread::started, keypairGenerator, &RSAKeypairGenerator::generateKeypair);
+    connect(keypairGenerator, &RSAKeypairGenerator::generatedKeypair, this, &AccountManager::processGeneratedKeypair);
+    connect(keypairGenerator, &RSAKeypairGenerator::errorGeneratingKeypair,
+            this, &AccountManager::handleKeypairGenerationError);
+    connect(keypairGenerator, &QObject::destroyed, generateThread, &QThread::quit);
+    connect(generateThread, &QThread::finished, generateThread, &QThread::deleteLater);
+    
+    keypairGenerator->moveToThread(generateThread);
+    
+    qDebug() << "Starting worker thread to generate 2048-bit RSA key-pair.";
+    generateThread->start();
+}
+
+void AccountManager::processGeneratedKeypair(const QByteArray& publicKey, const QByteArray& privateKey) {
+    
+    qDebug() << "Generated 2048-bit RSA key-pair. Storing private key and uploading public key.";
+    
+    // set the private key on our data-server account info
+    _accountInfo.setPrivateKey(privateKey);
+    
+    // get rid of the keypair generator now that we don't need it anymore
+    sender()->deleteLater();
+}
+
+void AccountManager::handleKeypairGenerationError() {
+    // for now there isn't anything we do with this except get the worker thread to clean up
+    sender()->deleteLater();
+}
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/AccountManager.h b/libraries/networking/src/AccountManager.h
index 3628b5a865..1dc0506338 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/AccountManager.h
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/AccountManager.h
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ signals:
     void balanceChanged(qint64 newBalance);
 private slots:
     void processReply();
+    void handleKeypairGenerationError();
+    void processGeneratedKeypair(const QByteArray& publicKey, const QByteArray& privateKey);
 private:
     AccountManager();
     AccountManager(AccountManager const& other); // not implemented
@@ -98,6 +100,8 @@ private:
 
     void passSuccessToCallback(QNetworkReply* reply);
     void passErrorToCallback(QNetworkReply* reply);
+    
+    void generateNewKeypair();
 
     Q_INVOKABLE void invokedRequest(const QString& path,
                                     bool requiresAuthentication,
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/DataServerAccountInfo.h b/libraries/networking/src/DataServerAccountInfo.h
index ae7699584b..8dc321bb02 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/DataServerAccountInfo.h
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/DataServerAccountInfo.h
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ public:
     
     const QUuid& getWalletID() const { return _walletID; }
     void setWalletID(const QUuid& walletID);
+    
+    void setPrivateKey(const QByteArray& privateKey) { _privateKey = privateKey; }
 
     qint64 getBalance() const { return _balance; }
     float getBalanceInSatoshis() const { return _balance / SATOSHIS_PER_CREDIT; }
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/RSAKeypairGenerator.cpp b/libraries/networking/src/RSAKeypairGenerator.cpp
index ae61ac3eda..91a7fe8df6 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/RSAKeypairGenerator.cpp
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/RSAKeypairGenerator.cpp
@@ -17,6 +17,12 @@
 
 #include "RSAKeypairGenerator.h"
 
+RSAKeypairGenerator::RSAKeypairGenerator(QObject* parent) :
+    QObject(parent)
+{
+    
+}
+
 void RSAKeypairGenerator::generateKeypair() {
     
     RSA* keyPair = RSA_new();
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/RSAKeypairGenerator.h b/libraries/networking/src/RSAKeypairGenerator.h
index f98daddb1e..dd90313625 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/RSAKeypairGenerator.h
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/RSAKeypairGenerator.h
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@
 
 class RSAKeypairGenerator : public QObject {
     Q_OBJECT
+public:
+    RSAKeypairGenerator(QObject* parent = 0);
 public slots:
     void generateKeypair();
 signals: