What is the scope of P3P. Is P3P replacing blocking software like junkbuster[tm] or webwasher?
P3P is definitly not a technology that replaces all current Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PET’s). But the scope and way of addressing privacy is different from the currently known software, which tries to limit the amount of data, or fake’s data, that a server can retrieve. These blocking tools, as they could be called, are only addressing the issue of hidden and unnotified collection of data. P3P goes far beyond that. When doing e-commerce, especially in the business-to-consumer area, sometimes a user must give his data to receive a service or a good. One could also imagine cases, where the user want’s to give his data away for better service. But must this be the end of privacy? Can this data then be used freely, because it is out? A blocking tools doesn’t help in this context. With P3P, it is possible to express the further use of this data and naturally the limitations of that use. But remember, P3P doesn’t guarantee that the service behind the policy does what it announced to do
