Domain name privacy, often referred to as WHOIS privacy or domain name protection, is an optional service designed to protect your personal contact details from being publicly displayed in the WHOIS database. When registering a domain, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires that you enter your contact information (full name, address, phone number, and email) for verification purposes. Without privacy protection, this information is publicly listed in the WHOIS database and accessible via a WHOIS lookup, potentially leading to increased spam, hacking attempts, and a risk of identity theft. This is why domain privacy protection is a good thing to have. It conceals your contact information within the public WHOIS database, helping to preserve your privacy.

GDPR and Domain Privacy

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws, enacted in 2016, are regulations on information privacy that protect residents of the European Union and the European Economic Area. If you are a citizen of the European Union and your domain name is registered there, you do not need a WHOIS privacy service, as the GDPR laws will, for the most part, automatically protect your WHOIS information.

What Is WHOIS Lookup?

A WHOIS Lookup is a search utility designed to find specific information about a domain name, such as registration date, expiration date, registrar, name servers, and the contact details of the domain name owner. It retrieves data directly from the official WHOIS database.

How To Check Whether Your Domain Has Privacy Protection Enabled

It’s possible that you selected the privacy option when you first registered your domain and forgot about it. The easiest way is to check the WHOIS database and enter your domain name in the search bar. If you see your address, phone number, or email then privacy is not enabled.

Are You Curious What Your WHOIS Record Looks Like?

Enter your domain name and click the button below to run a WHOIS search and see if you are protected.

Turning on domain name privacy is important for several reasons:

• Protects Personal Information: It keeps your personal contact details, like your phone number and email address, hidden from the public WHOIS database.
• Hides Your Identity: Domain privacy protection replaces your personal information with the details of a registrar proxy service, thereby keeping your identity safe and your contact information hidden.
• Helps Minimize Spam: Without protection, your publicly available contact information can be collected by spammers and bots with the intention of sending unsolicited emails, calls from marketers, and scam phone calls. By enabling domain privacy, you minimize the risk of your contact information being used for spam.
• Prevents Domain Hijacking: Domain name theft occurs when someone changes the registration of a domain name without the permission of the owner. With your personal details hidden, it becomes more difficult for potential hijackers to impersonate you and illegally transfer ownership of your domain.

Summary

While domain name privacy protection isn’t strictly necessary, we generally recommend using it. It is an easy and affordable security solution that protects your privacy and safeguards your personal information. It helps to prevent domain hijacking, spam, and other cyber threats. It adds a layer of security by substituting your contact details in the WHOIS database with alternative ones. This includes concealing your name, email, address, and contact number. We generally recommend this service to anyone who wants to maintain their privacy and reduce the risk of spam and domain-related fraud.

The good news is that implementing this service can be both cost-effective and straightforward. Contact us today to add domain name privacy protection to your account for only $9.95/year.