Eventually, an e-mail package will connect with a payment mechanism located, perhaps, at an online service. You pocket the fee if the sender follows through with delivery. If the e-mail is useful, you can cancel the charge. Internet service providers will probably get involved in running the payment scheme. Trust on the Internet Privacy is another area where self-regulation may have a fighting chance.
People get to choose their toothpaste and their breakfast cereal.
You know exactly what information you're handing over, since you fill in your profile with information such as name, address, e-mail address, age, marital status, and hobbies. OPS promises to inform you of what data your browser provides to Web sites, and it lets you tag each piece of data and indicate to whom you want information revealed. You could specify, for instance, that a site not make personal information available for promotional mailings. Netscape has submitted the proposal to the World Wide Web Consortium's Platform for Privacy Preference Project. The World Wide Web Consortium has developed prototype privacy software that lets Web users control access to their personal information.