Whatis defines Self-destructing email as an electronic mail that vanishes or becomes unreadable after a certain length of time or upon the request of the sender. They also help prevent printing, copying, forwarding, and saving of the email sent and auto expire after a predefined interval.

An embarassing email sent years ago might come to haunt you today just when you thought it must have been deleted permanently. Self Destructing emails delete the original message once it has been read by the recipient. While they are not completely fool proof, for example, someone can take a photo of the message with the camera, the record on the Internet does not remain.

Here are a few self destructing email providers that you might find useful for sending emails. Some even provide free plug-ins for sending emails through a desktop based email client such as Outlook or Thunderbird.

+ Self-Destructing-Email.com: Allows you to send email from webmail by adding .self-destructing-email.com to the end of the recipient’ email address. They also provide a free plug-in called ActiveTracker for desktop email clients such as Outlook, Thunderbird, Opera Mail, Outlook Express and even Webmail [link]

+ WillSelfDestruct: This site enables you to create a one-time secure web page for a recipient. You can create a secure anonymous email message to a friend or colleague by entering their e-mail address and the message. The recipient will receive an e-mail with a link to a one-time secure web page which they will be able to view once and only once. Once the url has been accessed the message is deleted.

+ KickNotes: Allows you to create an email message that will self destruct based on how many times the message is read or the age of the message.

+ BigString: BigString is a free service allows a user to easily send, recall, erase, self-destruct and modify an email after it has been sent. BigString users have unprecedented control over all of their email, whether they choose to send it through the BigString.com website or an email client such as Outlook.

+ Kablooey Mail: Kablooey Mail offers features similiar to BigString such as recalling or “retract”ing a message after it has been sent, self destructing based on number of times a message has been erad or age of the email, and blocking the recipient from copying the message, forwarding the message, printing the message. A plug-in is being developed that will allow using their service through any email client.

+ ZMail Basic: Allows you to specify a Release Time wherein a message cannot be read before the time you define, Expiration Time wherein an email cannot be read after the time you define and Delivery reciept which shows When, Where, How and by Whom your message was decrypted

+ StealthMessage: Stealth Message allows encryption of email mesages, stores encrypted messsages anonymously, set self-destructing options, prevent forwarding and copying of messages

+ SD Message: Web based service that allows you to send messages that will self destruct within 60 seconds of viewing

+ DestructingMessage: Online service that generated a link which contains your message and can be self destroyed after the timer expires.

+ VaporStream: VaporStream is a paid service that separates the header of the message, the who, what and where, from the body of the message. They never exist together and can never be seen together; there is no record connecting the VaporStream subscriber with the content of the message. You also cannot print, cut and paste, forward or save a stream. You can trust that once you read a message it is gone.