When registering a domain the contact details like name, address and also social security number are stored in a public database called WHOIS. And anyone on the internet can look up this information.
You as a website owner can feel better about making a small investment in your privacy. And, in fact, tens of thousands of customers opt for this privacy.
What is Domain Privacy?
Privacy protection consists of replacing the domain owner's data publicly displayed in WHOIS with data from the company offering domain privacy protection .
Every registered domain is registered in a listing called WHOIS, which is a searchable database of all registered domains . This bank is publicly available to everyone on the Internet.
Without domain privacy service or WHOIS privacy protection , all your contact information (address, phone number, name, etc.) is publicly available on the internet.
With WHOIS privacy , however, your personal information is protected and information belonging to the domain registrar becomes visible instead.
See how domain privacy can help you:
- Controlling spam and junk mail ;
- Hide your site from competitors by doing market research ;
- Prevent companies from capturing your information to resell to others ;
- Avoid stalkers and fraudsters;
- Avoid receiving unwanted contacts on your phone;
- Control your personal information and privacy.
WHOIS privacy protection is purchased by a large portion of website owners for the reasons just listed, after all, it turns out to be an important way to help reduce spam, scams and unwanted Internet traffic .
Out of curiosity, there are some types of domains, such as those ending in .ca, that automatically have this privacy protection activated , without the need to purchase any type of complementary service. This is not common here in Pak, but if the domain you are using belongs to this category, enjoy the added level of protection!
Why use Domain Privacy
Domain privacy offers many advantages , whether you offer a website hosting service, are a reseller or a customer.
Let's detail here a little better some reasons why you should choose to purchase domain privacy, as can be seen below.
1. Protects your personal information
When you register your domain name, the registrar is required to enter your contact information by ICANN (ICANN - Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers on the Internet).
ICANN is an international non - profit corporation responsible for allocating Internet Protocol (IP) address space, assigning protocol identifiers, administering the system of top-level domains, both generic (gTLDs) and coded country names (ccTLDs), as well as the management functions of the root server system.
WHOIS , as we already mentioned, is a service that manages all data related to domain registration. It lists all your personal details like name, company name, address, contact number, email address, etc. If someone performs a WHOIS lookup , all of your personal information will be available to them.
One of the main reasons WHOIS lists all information is that ICANN believes that Internet users can validate the credibility of a website and identify who owns it, given the open source/chaotic nature of the Internet.
ICANN also requires registrars to monitor the data that registrants submit to ensure the accuracy of the information. If information provided by a registrant is incorrect or false, it may lead to cancellation of the domain name.
However, this does not prevent you from using privacy protection services on your domain name.
2. Reduces unwanted contacts
If this data falls into the wrong hands, you could become a victim of spam, unwanted phone calls and spoofed emails.
When you enable Domain Privacy Protection , your data is hidden from unwanted domain intruders.
Not only that, but scammers can use your business details for social hacking to take control of your business.
So Domain Privacy Protection also helps keep your domain and your business safe.
3. Avoid financial scams
This is a form of protection against scams like the counterfeit bank slip, which end up being very common. With the information available in WHOIS, criminals specializing in online scams can forge invoices. They may also send you fake messages about renewing your domain or even try to get access to your credit card details.
Always be aware of the renewal dates of your registrations to avoid falling into this trap.