What Is Private Whois And Why Private Domain Registration Is Important
When purchasing a domain name, youre required to submit certain information like your phone number, full name and address, email address, and so on. This is required by your domain registrar on behalf of ICANN to create transparency concerning domain name ownership. But this transparency comes at a cost, which well discuss at length in this article as well as measures to protect yourself from the potentially harmful effects of having your personal data made public.
The personal data you submit when buying a domain is made public in Whois along with other data such as nameservers, expiry date, renewal date of domain, etc. Whois is a technical directory that can be used to look up information pertaining to any gTLD like .com, .net or .online, and that includes all of your submitted personal information as well. This can make you vulnerable to the actions of illegitimate data collectors, identity thieves and domain hijackers. This unless you opt for private Whois or private domain registration.
Is Private Registration For Domain Name Necessary
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control on the Internet. Domain names are used in various networking contexts and for application-specific naming and addressing purposes.
In general, a domain name identifies a network domain, or it represents an Internet Protocol resource, such as a personal computer used to access the Internet, a server computer hosting a web site, or the web site itself or any other service communicated via the Internet. In 2017, 330.6 million domain names had been registered.
A domain name may be composed of:
An exact match, also called a root domain: example.com.
A subdomain: blog.example.
A second-level domain : example.co.uk , example.au , or example.jp . These have more specific suffixes than other top-level domains such as .com or .net. In the United Kingdom, for instance, every registered .uk domain has a corresponding .uk subdomain such as blog.uk.
A top-level domain : .com, ., or .org., or one of the new generic top-level domains such as .guru or .xyz.
.gov and .edu are restricted to United States governmental entities and post-secondary institutions respectively.
A private registration for your domain name can keep your personal contact information hidden from public view so that you dont receive spam emails and other unwanted communications.
How To Get Domain Name Privacy Protection
Every domain registrar lets you buy domain privacy when you register your domain name. You can even buy and enable it after youve registered your domain.
Now most registrars automatically add it to your cart or prompt you to buy it before you check out. We recommend buying it before you register a domain so that personal info is never made public in the WHOIS database.
However, if you have already registered a domain and want to hide your information now, its never too late to buy privacy protection.
Once you enable domain privacy, it can take up to 48 hours for the WHOIS database to refresh. Then youll see that your information is replaced with generic details of your domain registrar.
Keep in mind that the domain registration and expiry dates will always be visible.
Here are a few domain registrars we recommend that offer privacy protection at affordable rates. These rates may vary depending on the value of your domain name.
1. Bluehost: $11.88 per year with every domain. If you buy a hosting plan , domain privacy is included in the package for free. Read the full review »Bluehost Review
2. Domain.com: Add privacy protection to new and transferred domains at $8.99 per year. Read the full review »Domain.com Review
3. SiteGround : $12 for the first year, after which it is $24 per year.
4. Dreamhost: One of the only hosting providers that offers domain name privacy for free. Its automatically added to every domain registered with them.
7. GreenGeeks: $9.95 a year.
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Reasons Why You Need Domain Privacy Protection
Reliable web hosting providers disclose how they use and store your details in their privacy policy, but thats not enough to protect your personal information.
Because of ICANN regulations, when registering a domain, your personal data must be made public by default that is the main reason why domain privacy is needed. Here are some other reasons why it may be necessary.
Protect Your Identity With Private Registration
Your identity is priceless. Make a small investment to protect it. When you add Private Registration to your domain names, it masks your personal information from being shown on the public WHOIS database. We replace your information with an alternate contact to ensure your personal information remains protected.
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Privacy Protection Isnt Always An Option
Although Whois privacy service is available for almost all domains, some are unavailable due to registry restrictions.
Currently, this includes .ca, .ch, .cn, .co.in, .co.uk, .com.au, .com.es, .com.sg, .de, .es, .eu, .fr, .gg, .id, .in, .is, .law, .li, .me.uk, .net.au, .nl, .nom.es, .nu, .nyc, .org.es, .org.au, .org.uk, .paris, .sg, .to, .uk, .us, .vote, .voto, and .xn--3ds443g domains.
Privacy protection may already be in place for certain TLDs, or restrictions may be in place for specific geographic locations.
Take .us, for example. In 2005 the National Telecommunications and Information Administration requested that all registrants must make their contact information public. This was to help make sure that .us registrants followed the requirements, such as that they must be a US citizen or resident, when registering their domain.
The Benefits Of Whois Protection
If youre considering whether private domain registration is worth it, lets go over the reasons why you benefit.
1. Protect your personal information
Identity theft is a serious problem online, and personal information is needed when registering a domain name. If someone were to gain access to this data, it could cause serious problems for you or your business. Whois protection conceals this information. Domain privacy is necessary to help prevent your data from getting into the wrong hands.
2. Prevent unsolicited marketing outreach
Listing your contact information alongside your domain invites unwanted attention from salespeople, spammers, telemarketers, and fraudsters. Some individuals scan the Whois database for contact information, trawling newly registered websites in particular. Soon after registration you may be targeted with emails and calls about trying to offer online marketing, SEO, making domain privacy protection worth getting just to avoid such communications!
3. Minimize spam
Private registration for a domain name is necessary if you want to protect your email, and cut down on unsolicited emails from spammers. Your domain registrar will include an alias email in place of your own within the Whois database cutting down the likelihood of phishing emails. Such phishing emails wont reach your true email if you use domain privacy protection.
4. Greater control over your personal information
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It Prevents Domain Theft
Domain theft or hijacking is when someone changes your domains registration information without your permission. This is possible by accessing your email address and domain registrar account.
Hackers can use your domain to aid other cyber-attacks like malware installation. Moreover, theres a chance they might use it for phishing.
In other words, they might create web pages identical to the ones on your website, especially pages that collect sensitive customer data.
Losing control of your domain can lead to financial loss, regulatory and reputational damages.
The dummy email address will give hackers an extra obstacle by enabling domain privacy protection if they try to break into your account.
Private Domain Registration: Register Private Domain Name
This is required by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers as part of the domain name registration process. Now you have the opportunity to mask your personal information with Private Domain Registration. Get Peace of Mind with Private Domain Name Registration. Protect yourself from telemarketers, spammers, and data miners
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Can I Cancel A Perfect Privacy Private Domain Name Registration
Yes, as the domain owner, you have the right to cancel the private domain registration service. Neither Web.com’s support staff, nor your registrar’s support staff, will cancel your private domain registration on your behalf. This is something that has been placed under your sole control.
After you cancel our private domain name registration services, your name, home and e-mail addresses and postal addresses will be made publicly available in the WHOIS directory.
Please note that there are no refunds when you cancel our private registration services.
The Pros Of Private Domain Registration
The advantages of registering a domain as a private domain are highlighted below:
- Just as the name suggests, a private domain is private in its settings. The domain has privacy protection. This means that personal information such as contact details are not open to the public.
- The fact that info such as contact details are privatized prevents unsolicited emails, SPAMS, and telemarketing contents that were not signed up for. This equally serves to reduce the number of fraudulent users you will get to interact with. Generally, the private domain offers you a safe zone while running a functional domain.
- Registering a domain as a private domain gives you control over the kind of info that will be displayed on the WHOIS directory.
- As a competing brand, having your info absent on the WHOIS directory makes it easy to mask your presence. That way you can seek out information that gives an edge to your brand and your competitors do not get to know who owns the domain.
- As part of the ICANN requirement for registering a domain, an email account and other contact information have to be provided. To cater for this, the registrant of your domain has to fill in these details with their info. As a result, the legal requirements and issues that may arise in the future will have to be sorted out by the registrant instead of you.
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What Is Full Domain Privacy And Protection
Private domain registration is an add-on service you buy to protect your data and keep it hidden from the rest of the world. If your websites information is available for anyone to see on the internet, then its obvious that your business can be in harms way if that information falls into the wrong hands.
To rid your digital platform of such risks, privacy protection is necessary.
Do I Need Domain Privacy
Its really up to you. Without domain privacy, someone can look up your domain on WHOIS to find your name, your address, and even your phone number. Maybe you dont mind if someone finds your business address and business phone linebut if you run a home-based business, you probably have some bigger concerns.
If you opt for private registration, anyone who looks you up on WHOIS will just see the name and address of your registration companynot yours. So while GoDaddy does charge extra for privacy protection, the cost might be worth it if youre worried about privacy.
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How Can I Protect Myself From Digital Stalking
One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself from cyberstalking is to remain anonymous. When possible, avoid using personal information like your real name online. In situations when you must use your real name, avoid pairing it with your contact information.
You may not think anyone will abuse something as simple as your email address, but stalkers can be relentless. For example, you could block an email address that is harassing you, only for that person to start sending emails from a different address.
The bottom line? Keeping personal information private is the best way to avoid digital stalking. However, if it has already begun, its a smart idea to seek further help.
What Is Private Registration And Do I Need It
Also known as WHOIS Privacy, Private Registration offers a premium service to domain name registrants to protect their personal information from being displayed in the public Whois.
Typically when you register a domain name, your contact information is publicly available. Private Registration offers a premium service to domain name registrants to protect their personal information from being displayed in the public Whois. You control who reaches you and when.
Some TLDs do not allow you to add Private Registration. We restrict you from adding Private Registration to the domains that dont support it.
What Information will be displayed for your domain name?
When you choose our Private Registration Service, your personal contact information will be private and your Whois information replaced with Digital Privacy Corporations information. This will stop all unwanted emails from spammers and advertisers, and still keep you in touch with potential customers and partners!
| Private Registration Will Help You | Private Registration Will Protect |
|---|---|
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Can Everyone Get Domain Privacy Protection
Unfortunately, even if you realize domain privacy protection is worth it, not every website owner can get it. Some domain endings are restricted for use in specific countries or specific purposes.
To check if your domain ending qualifies, follow these steps:
1. Go to the Domain ending TLD reference provided by Google Domains.
2. Click your domain ending.
3. Click Privacy. If allowed, it should say so, as shown below.
If your domain ending can be protected, consider doing so. Itâs a quick and easy way to prevent unwanted emails, unwanted calls, and hacking attempts.
Private Vs Public Domain Registration: The Big Difference
Domains can be registered as private domain or public domain. How can you tell the difference between the two?
Knowing the difference between private and public domain is important before registering your domain in either of the categories.
The knowledge of the two types of domains is necessary to inform the decision of which to go for.
Do you wish to know the significant differences as well as the implications of running either a private or a public domain?
You can learn all you need to know about private and public domain registration here.
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Must I Provide Valid Contact Information For A Private Domain Registration
Yes. When you purchase a domain name you must include accurate and updated information for all of your contacts , regardless of whether you choose to make it a “private” or “public” registration. This is the only way Web.com can reach you with issues concerning your domain and our private registration services.
If you enter false information you risk having your domain name, as well as our private registration services, canceled entirely. Please review our Web.com Service Agreement carefully so you fully understand your rights and obligations.
Protect Your Privacy With Private Domain Registrations
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Keep your private details secure
One of the requirements of buying a domain name is that you must give your contact details when registering that domain.
Internet regulations require that your name, address, email, and phone number be accessible 24/7 to anybody who wants to see them just by looking up your domain. This rule was created to make it easy to contact a domain owner in case of problems, but it has since been exploited by spammers and marketers to bother people. Your personal information is exposed 24 hours a day, everyday, to anyone, anywhere.
Unfortunately since this information is publicly available it may be used by spammers and marketers to send unsolicited messages, or by others who want to harass a domain owner.
You have the power to change this. With a private registration through Domains By Proxy , registering a domain name doesnt mean sacrificing your privacy. Their name is shown on the registration instead of yours, but you still retain the full benefits of full registration.
The private domain registrations upgrade costs $8 a year and you must purchase the upgrade for the length of time your domain is registered for.
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Which Tlds Are Eligible For Private Domain Registration
Private domain registration is applicable to selected TLDs like .in, .me, .tv, .net, .name, .org, .com, .biz, .info, .academy, .accountant, .amsterdam, .attorney, .boutique, .brussels, .club, .consulting, .domains, .email, .fashion, .football, .hosting, .immobilien, .london, .miami, .ninja, .photography, .pub, .restaurant, .site, .srl, .tienda, .tips, .university, .viajes, .voyage, .website, .wedding, .wiki, .world, .xyz. For full list please refer to the Help Center.
Concerns Regarding Registering A Domain Name With A Home Address
If I purchase a domain, Im usually required to enter an address. Usually, the address can be accessed publicly by any sort of WHOIS lookup. Im uncomfortable publishing my real home address what do people usually do? Lie? Purchase a P.O box?
- 2Related indeed. However that question and its answers are focused on whether its OK to provide fake information or not, while this one is concerned with privacy. danJun 18 13 at 18:26
- This will depend on the Registry, but if you are registering a UK domain as a private individual then it is free to opt-out of the public whois database.Jun 18 13 at 22:08
- 1Today, with GDPR it will be private. As for specific domain registrar, check out the review: StasDec 22 18 at 23:32
- The medium.com URL points to a post for an account that has been removed. web.archive.org does not have an entry for this URL.
Not disclosing your personal contact information is a common concern, since as you state, its otherwise publicly available at domain registrars, and any site that implements WHOIS lookups.
There are Domain Privacy options available at most domain registrars however, for example:Private Registration
These will prevent the public from seeing your home address and contact information , while staying within ICANN guidelines since the registrar will act as the administrative contact and forward important emails regarding the domain to you.
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