Obligations of Network Proxies

For any communication to happen on the Internet, numerous intermediaries must be traversed in order to enable a seemingly "end-to-end" communication.

Web protocols do support the notion of expiration, content can be tagged requesting that proxies not keep information in cache, or that a newer version of the content be fetched at some point in the future.

However, there is no strict obligation for proxies to follow such requests. This can have a significant effect on the ability to form agreements on-line.

Proxies which do not expire old stock quotes, news stories, price lists, privacy proposals, and offers for digital contract can be detrimental to electronic commerce!