Domain name registration requires you to provide personal information such as your name and contact information. This information is then needed to be displayed publicly.
Your contact information is included in the public Whois directory if you own a domain. The registrar must display this information, including your name, address, email, and phone number.
This up-to-date contact information can be helpful if any issues arise regarding your domain. For example, you may need to confirm ownership of the domain or update contact details. Unless GDPR protects you, this information is shared publicly by default.
Each Whois record contains details about the registrant, like your name and address. Your information also includes things like your email and phone number.
When you share your registrant information publicly, there are several drawbacks. The largest is that anyone can find your information and use it however they please – including spamming you.
Domain privacy services are a great way to keep your personal contact information hidden from the public. Using a domain privacy service, you can ensure that your name, address, and phone number are not made available online. This is a great option to ensure that your contact information is not abused by spammers, scammers, or third parties.
Domain privacy is important, but what does it mean for you? Let’s find out.
Is It Necessary to Protect Your Domain Privacy?
If you’ve just bought a new domain name, you may be wondering if you need to protect your privacy.
If you own a website, it’s required by both ICANN and other domain registries to provide accurate contact information. This information is public by default.
Domain names that are registered can be entered into any free-to-use Whois search tool. So anyone can easily retrieve the publicly available Whois information. Suppose your personal contact information is not protected. In that case, they will retrieve it and have access to all of your personal details, which are then used for unsolicited marketing and sales contacts, and spam. This private information may even allow your domain to be hijacked or transferred away.
If you’re looking for extra privacy online, consider using a domain privacy protection service. This type of service keeps your contact information secret by replacing it with that of the privacy service and randomly generated email addresses.
Domain Privacy: Publishing Your Personal Information and Sharing It With Others
Well, registering a domain triggers many requirements regarding how your personal information is treated. Your info has to be published – as we mentioned before – and shared with third parties. That’s what happens today, anyway.
So, you’ve probably heard about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It’s a new law designed in the European Union to protect people’s personal data. It sets rules for how personal data can be collected, used, and stored.
Domain Whois information is now being published with redacted data. If GDPR covers you, the service provider must hide your public information. Your registrar may choose to do this for all their customers unless a registry specifically prohibits it.
So if your information is redacted to protect your privacy, it will still be available to the registry. Many registries require their registrars to send this info automatically, which means that your personal data is shared even further. This is called onward-sharing.
To prevent this, you need to review every registry you have a domain with and understand how they handle and share personal information. The only way around this is by using a privacy or proxy service.
Domain privacy can be a great way to keep your personal information from being shared publicly. Still, it’s important to be aware that some proxy or privacy services require you to share your information. Please read the privacy policies of these providers before signing up, as they may still share your data with other third parties.
Rovity’s Domain Privacy Offerings
Domain privacy is a service that we offer at Rovity that helps protect your identity online. It is harder for people to find you through Whois records by replacing your contact information with dummy data. This is especially important if GDPR does not already cover you. Privacy protection services like this are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people have become aware of keeping their personal information safe online.
Do You Need to Buy Domain Privacy?
Domain privacy is a service that some domain registrars charge for. Still, at Rovity, we believe in going that extra mile for our customers. Our domain privacy service is free for life because we uphold strong privacy standards. When you entrust your personal information to us, we want you to know exactly what will happen with it – and rest assured that we will protect it.
Whois Protection Benefits
If you’re wondering if private domain registration is worth it, here are some reasons why you might benefit.
1 – Whois Privacy Protects Your Personal Information
Domain privacy is a must if you don’t want your personal information getting into the wrong hands. Whois protection conceals your data so that prying eyes can’t see it. This is important for keeping yourself and your business safe from identity theft.
Domain privacy is a great way to keep your personal information safe and secure. You can prevent your information from being shared with third parties by protecting your domain. This way, you can rest assured knowing that your data is protected.
2 – Domain Privacy Prevents Unsolicited Marketing
Domain privacy is important to avoid unwanted attention from salespeople, spammers, telemarketers, and fraudsters. Your contact information is publicly available when you list it alongside your domain, making it easy for these individuals to find and target you. Domain privacy protection can help reduce the chances of contacting these people.
3 – Keeping Your Domain Private Minimizes Spam
If you’re looking to protect your email and cut down on spam, private registration for your domain name is a must. Using domain privacy protection, your registrar will include an alias email in the Whois database instead of your own. This reduces the chances of receiving phishing emails—attempts to obtain sensitive information like usernames and passwords.
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What Is the Scope of Domain Privacy Protection?
Domain privacy is important to consider if you are trying to protect your personal information from being accessed by others. WHOIS can help stop automated address harvesters from getting your details. But, a focused attacker could still find indirect ways to determine who the actual owner is. Therefore, it is important to weigh the risks and benefits of domain privacy before deciding whether or not it is right for you.
Imagine you own a business. Your business address and other details are already listed on your website, so there’s no need to hide them from the Whois database. It’s already publicly available for anyone to find and use according to their needs.
Domain privacy is important if you want to keep your address hidden when sharing your personal site, such as a travel blog, with people worldwide. Rovity offers domain privacy for free, so it’s worth having to protect your personal details for peace of mind.
There Are Not Always Options for Whois Privacy Protection
Domain Registrars can’t hide some domain names with a Whois privacy service because the registry restricts it.
Check out this list of top-level domains that don’t offer Whois Privacy or aren’t supported by Rovity!
.ac
.am
.asia
.at
.be
.ca
.ch
.co.uk
.cx
.cz
.de
.eu
.es
.film
.fm
.fr
.gs
.gy
.im
.in
.it
.jobs
.jp
.li
.mn
.mx
.ngo/.ong
.nl
.nyc
.pl
.pm
.pro
.re
.rich
.ru
.se
.sh
.so
.tel
.tf
.tl
.top
.travel
.uk
.us
.vc
.vote
.wf
.ws
.yt
Whois privacy is not supported on these Second-Level Domains.
.ar.com
.br.com
.cn.com
.co.in
.com.mx
.co.nz
.eu.com
.firm.in
.gen.in
.ind.in
.net.in
.org.in
.org.uk
.sa.com
.uk.com
.us.com
Some TLDs already have privacy protection, while others may have restrictions for specific geographic locations.
Let’s take .us. as an example. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) requested in 2005 that all registrants must make their contact information public. This was to help ensure that .us registrants followed the requirements, such as being a US citizen or resident.
How Can You Get Privacy for Your Domains
Suppose you want to keep your contact information private when registering a domain name. The process varies depending on the registrar, but at Rovity, we offer whois privacy protection for free by default. You don’t need to request it; we take care of everything for you.
If you’re registering a domain from any other place, you might need to pay separately for whois privacy. But if you’re willing to pay, you can get the protection when you order a domain registration.
What Is the Cost of Whois Protection
Domain privacy is a valuable feature for any website owner. By making your domain information private, you can help keep your personal information and contact details safe from prying eyes. And the best part? Domain privacy is free for the vitality of your domain when you register through Rovity! But if you register your domain from places like GoDaddy, you will need to pay ₹300 per domain per year.
Summary
When you buy a domain name, it’s important to protect your privacy by registering it privately. If someone knows who owns the website, they can find out all sorts of information about you and use it for nefarious purposes.
At Rovity, we are committed to providing the best possible experience for our customers. We know that privacy is important to you, and we’re proud to offer free whois protection with each domain registration. This ensures that your personal information stays confidential and out of the hands of spammers and other unwelcome senders. We hope you’ll take advantage of this valuable service!
