One such step in this direction is being taken by the Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P) initiative of the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C). P3P is a protocol whereby a site creates a machine-readable version of its privacy policy in a format that makes
it possible for computers to understand and negotiate about privacy. Customers entrust their private information to a privacy agent
(possibly their web browser). When the customer visits a site, his P3P agent negotiates on his behalf with the site to learn the
privacy policy. The agent then asks the customer which types of information he is willing to share with the site, given the privacy
policy. Over time, the agent may learn the customer's preferences. For example, a customer may be willing to give her e-mail
address or phone number if the site promises to use it only within a particular transaction. Customers benefit because they can enter
information once and not have to re-type it, and they know that information will only be shared with sites that promise to use it only
in ways the customer accepts. Sites benefit because customers are more likely to share information if they understand the privacy
policy and are more likely to share information if they do not need to reenter it each time.