I can understand that some providers want to connect only by e-mail.  I even understand (despite disagreeing with) the whole give me your name, phone number, job address, etc.  But I cannot abide a provider whose site traps your computer with cookies so that you practically have to disconnect to get out of their site.  Seems to me this is what the low-end porn guys do to trick people into signing up for service they don't really want.  I've noticed a couple of independents as well as some agency sites that do this.  Annoying.

Agencies and Independents engaging in this low-life sleazy tactic should be forced to give VIP TER members free service for 1 year after conviction for this practice.

Use a firewall and a pop-up ad blocker.

Are you referring to cookies, or Pop-ups?  Pop-ups I can understand, but in what way do cookies stop you from doing anything?  All a cookie is is a smal text file.

Generally, a rapid double-click on the back button will break you out of a site that seems to have you trapped.  Pop-ups are a whole other problem, though.  For that, you need anti-pop-up software.

No need to leave the house. Do a Google on these, Pest Patrol, Steganos, Zone Alarm. Also use the latest version of Netscape, FireFox, or Opera. MSIE has too many flaws (backdoors for cookies and other unwanted pests) to be a secure browser.