My initial gut-feel, and reaction after reading the fist page or so of comments in this thread, was that I didn't want any segregation or ability to turn off PvP. It's artificial for one thing and what's the difference to me between an NPC and human attacking, except motive and maybe skill?
After reading some more of the comments, I was reminded of my short-lived forays in to on-line Quake, Battlefield and their ilk, where I would last about 2 seconds after spawning and be mocked by teh 1337. Repeated attempts at trying to improve always ended in ridicule. Would there be rows of little sods camped outside Lave Station waiting for me to emerge in my shiny new Cobra MK3, who would repeatedly blast seven shades out of me?
Having read all the comments, I've come full circle. I trust the game mechanics will be such that repeat offenders will gain such large bounties that they'd become victims themselves. If they step out of line in the more stable systems, GalCop will step in, ensuring these areas remain relatively safe for the PvE players. There will be anarchic systems where PvP is the norm, almost like battle arenas. Maybe, when I scan a system before travelling there, there could be a police report indicating a level of recent crime - I can use that to avoid or embrace. If there are large numbers of griefers, a Thargoid invasion might be triggered to clense the system.
I want the relatively (got to have some level of trepidation, surely) safe trade routes that I will use for most of my playing time and I want to encounter many human players on my travels, but I also want areas in the galaxy that I fear to tread. It will be my informed choice to go there when I feel my skills/equipment are man enough and if I did, I may gain large rewards from hunting pirates, getting better commodity prices etc. or I might last 2 seconds and be mocked by teh e1337.
I fear that if there is a "switch" where I can't see other players who don't want to potentially participate in the different styles of play the game will offer, could lead to space being even more empty.