Whats In The Whois Directory
The public WHOIS database is a public directory that maintains a record of all domain registrations online. This includes domain registrant details, verifications, expiry, renewal dates, and more.
Its very similar to how an asset you own is registered under a governing authority or register. Think about your car or your house you wouldve registered it under a governing authority that records ownership, its start date, and duration.
However, what would happen if this information became available to the rest of the world? For an average user, this can create a big problem.
The main benefits of privacy protection are providing you privacy and protecting your data. But you do get many benefits from purchasing the service, such as a lock icon on web links, complete encryption on the transfer of information, rid of spam calls and emails, and much more.
If you do not have privacy protection on your domain, the ownership of any domain on the internet can be traced using the WHOIS lookup feature.
Can Everyone See My Information
If your website domain is not privacy protected, everyone can see your information. When you register your domain on the world wide web, it becomes a part of the global directory, called WHOIS, that makes your domains all registered information available to the public.
If you had integrated privacy protection when creating the website domain, your information would not be visible to everyone. However, if privacy is not protected, then your information is just a couple of clicks away from the rest of the world.
Hosting Email With Wix
If you register your domain name with Wix, you can set up a custom email address with .
Google Workspace lets you host your custom email address with Gmail software. I use Google Workspace and I highly recommend it.
Each mailbox costs $6.50 / month or $48 / month on a yearly term . Wix often runs an offer to get 50% off your first year on annual plans.
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Wix Ascend is a package of marketing tools. It is an additional product to your website.
There are four Wix Ascend plans available ranging from free – $49 per month:
Wix Ascend plans.
Ascend is a suite of tools:
- Contacts Like a CRM for anyone who interacts with your website and business.
- Members Adds membership functionality to your website.
- Wix Inbox Manage live chats and form submissions.
- Wix Chat Add live chat to your website.
- Wix Forms Paid plans add more form builder functionality .
- Wix Automations Create triggers and and actions for marketing automations. Similar to Zapier.
- Wix Invoices & Price Quotes For sending quotes and invoices to customers.
- Tasks A to-do list app.
- SEO Wiz An SEO tool. Basically like a checklist wizard.
- Email Marketing Wixs own email marketing tool.
- Social Posts A tool for creating social media assets.
- Easily connect with tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel.
- Logo Maker A free tool to create professional logos.
Recommended Reading: What Is Ultimate Domain Protection And Security Renewal
How Much Does Whois Protection Cost
You can get domain privacy protection while registering a new domain name with your domain registrar . They tend to offer it as an extra feature, usually priced between $2 and $20 a year. Thats a reasonable cost when you think about the extent of the risk it mitigates!
But do you really need domain privacy protection? Lets look at the reasons why it makes sense to get it.
What Is Domain Privacy & Protection
Domain Privacy & Protection keeps personal info hidden from public view, which helps secure private data from identity theft, domain-related spam and domain name hijacking. Instead of displaying your personal information in the WHOIS database for all to see, our partner, Domains By Proxy®, will replace it with its own. The domain will belong to you except now, you and Domains By Proxy® will be the only ones who know it.
Also Check: Where Do Domains Come From
Should I Buy Domain Privacy
You may find that some domain registrars charge for domain privacy protection. Here, customers will find that our domain privacy service is free for life as we believe in going that extra mile and making sure that our customers are protected.
We want our customers to know exactly what will or will not happen with their personal information and strongly believe in upholding privacy standards.
What’s The Difference Between Public Domain And Fair Use Definitions And Examples
4 min read
Recycling old content can be a very economical business tacticit certainly has been the strategy behind many of Hollywood’s box office successes. For businesses, educational institutions, and charities, using already existing content to draw attention to campaigns, performances, and activities can be a tremendous time saver. However, if you want to use very much of the original content, you will need to find content that is part of the public domain, content you can get permission to use, content which is based on facts or content that you can use in a way that is deemed fair use.
Recommended Reading: How To Know My Domain Name
Whats The Difference Between Private And Public Registration
The most notable difference between public and private domain names is that public domain names are used and must be unique on the internet, whereas private domain names are used in VPCs. Since I host through Ashley, I immediately emailed her and told her that I had skipped private registration when making my domain name – she was able to set up the private registration thing, I paid and that was it. When you have a public domain registration, you have no control over who accesses your private data. You can’t use private domain name services to send spam, break the law, or engage in morally objectionable activities.
Private domain registration ensures that anyone searching for domain names with bad intentions will only find your proxy server name. According to the registration agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers , your domain name registrant and contact information must be made public. Your domain name, your personal information is published in the WHOIS Public Internet Directory which can be viewed by anyone at any time. There is also a unique and private email address for your domain name that you decide to have any incoming email forwarded, filtered for spam or not forwarded at all.
Why Should You Keep Domain Registration Private
Domain registration requires personal information that should often be kept private. If you wouldnt post your name, address, and phone number on a billboard, you probably dont want it available to everyone on the internet.
One of the most common reasons for private domain registration is to avoid spam, identity theft, and harassment. Unfortunately, these days, having your contact details publicly available online puts you at risk of unwanted communication.
While the personal information provided isnt incredibly sensitive, it could still be used nefariously. For example, with your name, email address, and website information, someone could easily send emails from a fake account similar to yours and pretend to be you. They could use this to phish for account information of your users and compromise your sites security.
Related: Your Ultimate Guide to SSL/TLS and HTTPS
Recommended Reading: How Much Is Wix Domain After First Year
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.
What Are The Differences Between Public And Private Domain Names
The most notable difference between public and private domain names is that public domain names are used and must be unique on the Internet, while private domain names are used in VPCs.
To enable a public domain name to be resolved, you need to perform the following steps:
Recommended Reading: How To Check If Email Domain Is Blacklisted
Public Vs Private Ip Address: How Are They Different
An IP address works as an online identifier that helps websites correctly transfer information to you. There are two kinds of IP addresses: public and private.
- A public IP address is assigned to you by your internet service provider. Its a unique alphanumeric string used by your router to identify you to websites and apps online.
- A private IP is assigned by your router to devices on your local area network. It helps the router relay information received from websites to the correct device. Private IP addresses neednt be unique since and can be reused.
Public and private IPs differ in the functions they perform and their uniqueness. They also differ in terms of traceability: public IP addresses can be tracked by sites, ISPs, and the government. Conversely, private IP addresses are only visible to other devices on your local network and cannot be tracked by websites or ISPs. Hackers can also use your private IP to track down connected devices.
Hence, it makes sense to safeguard both your public and private IP addresses by using a virtual private network. A VPN encrypts your internet activity and changes your IP address. This helps prevent tracking, surveillance and hacking.
NordVPN is an excellent VPN provider as its safe, reliable, and fast.
Do read the rest of the article for a more detailed breakdown of the difference between public and private IP addresses!
What Is A Public Ip Address
A public IP address is an IP assigned to your router by your internet service provider. Its also known as an external IP address since websites, servers, and apps on the global network use it to identify you. The visualization below should help understand how a public IP address works.
A public IP address acts as your gateway to the internet, and you usually cant go online without one. Your public IP address must be visible to sites and web pages to correctly communicate with websites.
Read Also: How To Protect Domain Name
What Is Private Ip
An organization can have devices that need to connect with other devices in the organization, but not necessary to connect to the internet. So, in such cases, assigning a unique IP within the internal network is enough, but it is not necessary to assign a public IP address. Here, as the network is isolated, theoretically any IP address range can be used with the only requirement that IP addresses within the private network should be unique. But, if by any chance, if such network is connected to the internet without modifying IP addresses, it will put rise to duplicate IP addresses. Therefore, the standards have reserved special IP address ranges to be used for private addresses. In IP v4, three address ranges have been reserved for private IPs. They are,
From 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
From 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
From 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255
The Pros: Private Registration Hides These Details
When you get private domain registration, you enter into an agreement with your registrar. In exchange for an extra fee they mask your personal details. Instead of using your name, they use their own name or some kind of anonymous organization. This means none of your details are visible and youre protected from all that unwanted spam!
Recommended Reading: What Is Domain Forwarding With Masking
Promotions: How Often Does Wix Offer 50% Off
Wix offers 50% off as often as every two weeks.
For example, I signed up to Wix and was served a Limited Time Offer that expired on February 3:
This offer expired on February 3rd.
Another 50% off Limited Time Offer was back by February 17!
The next time I logged in was May 12 and there was yet another Limited Time Offer! So dont stress too much about hitting the Limited Time Offer window.
The offer was back again when I logged in in May.
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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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.
How To Switch A Network From Public To Private Or Private To Public
You normally make this decision the first time you connect to a network. Windows will ask whether you want your PC to be discoverable on that network. if you select Yes, Windows sets the network as Private. If you select No, Windows sets the network as public. You can see whether a network is private or public from the Network and Sharing Center window in the Control Panel.
On Windows 7, you can click the link right below the networks name here and set the network to either Home Network,Work Network, or Public Network. A Home network is a Private network, while a Work network is like a Private network where discovery is enabled but Homegroup sharing isnt.
To switch a network to public or private on Windows 10, youll need to use the Settings app.
If youre using a Wi-Fi connection, first connect to the Wi-Fi network you want to change. Launch the Settings app, select Network & Internet, select Wi-Fi, scroll down, and click Advanced options.
If youre using a wired Ethernet connection, connect to that network. Launch the Settings app, select Network & Internet, select Ethernet, and click the name of your Ethernet connection.
Youll see a few options for whichever Wi-Fi or Ethernet network youre currently connected to. The Make this PC discoverable option controls whether a network is public or private. Set it to On and Windows will treat the network as a private one. Set it to Off and Windows will treat the network as a public one.
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Expand: Morewhat Is The Whois And Why Is My Personal Information Displayed There
Firstly, ICANN is the organization that governs domain name registrations. ICANN provides the WHOIS online database so anyone can easily determine who owns a domain name, their contact information, and other pertinent information about the domain name itself. While this is intended to be a convenient way to verify a sites legitimacy or contact a business owner about their domain name, it is also a way for spammers to use your personal information against you.
List Of Privacy Protection Features For Websites
If you register your website for domain protection, you will get significant features to help your website stay secure and safe from unauthorized access. These features are necessary for a website domain that works effectively without any risks.
#1: Protection of domain registration information
As explained above, a domain names registration allows the public to view your personal information. By running a quick WHOIS domain name search, you can see anyones domains information. This could be used for not-good purposes.
However, the main feature of privacy protection is domain protection after private domain registration. Instead of your personal contact information, like first and last name, contact number, address, being available for the public to view, it becomes confidential and private.
#2: Regular backups
One essential feature of privacy protection that we simply cannot underestimate is regular backups. In todays world, a good backup is everything. It is a reliable method to keep your websites data and information safe, critical because nothing is ever 100% secured.
Whether building your site from scratch or using management systems like WordPress, there are multiple ways to backup and safeguard files. And the best part, a lot of these features are free.
#3: SSL Certificate
Whenever you are passing information, its better to use SSL-protected links. If you are not doing that, it is possible that people could steal that information and use it for wrongdoings.
Read Also: How Much Is A Custom Domain On Wix