Self-destructing email is electronic mail that vanishes or becomes unreadable after a certain length of time or upon the request of the sender. Although self-destructing email technologies has existed for years, none has been very effective. Several new programs are said to offer better performance as well as email security and privacy enhancements.

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]

+ 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.

+ 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.