When we register a domain for our website, it is automatically included in a database maintained by a service known as WHOIS. The little-known fact is that anyone can search up your personal information just by putting in your registered domain name. Domain privacy protection is a service that hides the personal data of a registrant from the WHOIS database. This WHOIS privacy protection is important because it masks your personal information and prevents it from being shared without your consent.
What is Domain Privacy Protection?
The WHOIS database is public and anyone can enter your registered domain name in the WHOIS search tool to find out your personal information. The purpose of domain privacy is to achieve WHOIS privacy by hiding this data so that it’s not used to unethical or unwanted purposes.
The registrar generates a generic set of information to be displayed instead of your actual data like email, address, name, phone number, business name. A number of domain name registrars offer domain privacy, and you have to pay to the company before it masks your information.
Let us now take a look at what is WHOISGuard, a product of the WHOIS organization.
What is whoisGuard?
The details of all registrants along with name servers and domain registration details is information that is legally supposed to be open to everyone.
What is WHOISGuard? A service that puts information protected by WHOISGuard for public viewing in place of your private details and contact information, protecting your information from getting into the hands of potential identity thieves and spammers.
WHOISGuard replaces your email id with its own uniquely generated id (for example, 3320jf038uj5180ba032214a9387fe51j.protect@whoisguard.com). All emails sent to this account will automatically be redirected to your specified email address. Anyone trying to access your information from your registered domain will only see the WHOISGuard details.
You can also enhance your privacy online by scheduling your WHOISGuard email address to be changed after some pre-specified days. This should be enough to provide you sufficient protection from spammers.
Is Domain Privacy Necessary?
When you talk about buying domain names, there is no choice but to fill in the contact information part or else, the registration can be cancelled.
The information that is collected is particularly available to anyone to access. Without domain privacy protection, this results in unsolicited individuals being able to contact you. There is also a risk of some individual using your identity for criminal purposes such as stalking and harassing.
This raises a question about the importance of privacy: Is domain privacy necessary? Yes, it is. WHOIS privacy is a great way to protect your personal information from being used without you knowing.
How Much Domain Privacy Protection Costs?
There are numerous registrars that offer domain privacy protection – some provide this service for free while others charge a fixed rate for it. Let us take a look at some of the leading registrars that offer domain privacy along with their rates:
- NameCheap: $2.88 per year.
- GoDaddy: $7.99 per year.
- com: $4.99 per year.
- iPage: $9.99 per year.
- com: $8.99 per year.
- HostMonster: $14.88 per year.
- HostGator: $14.95 per year.
The question here is: Is domain privacy worth it? If you feel like this is an additional cost, you can try out the registrars that offer domain privacy protection for free such as DreamHost.com, Hover.com, Register.ly, and InternetBS.net.
Is Domain Privacy Worth It?
The question that comes to mind now is: Should you spend on domain privacy protection? Owners of small businesses are, and rightly so, hesitant to put up their home addresses somewhere it is open for anyone to access. This is a great way to protect that information from spammers. Let us now take a look at the advantages of opting for domain privacy protection:
- Identity theft: Your personal information can be used to impersonate you. It is very important that your details not get into the wrong hands. WhoIS Privacy Protection services protect your information from being made available to identity thieves.
- Illegal commercial emailing: Once you put your email on for anyone to see, you essentially open yourself up to getting a ton of spam mail. Domain privacy protection protects your email from spammers and marketers as well.
- Prevent competitors from acquiring your information: Your business and personal information should never get in the hands of competitors since it can adversely affect your reputation. With domain privacy protection, your information will be kept safe and distant from your competitors, even when they search for it.
Conclusion – Domain Privacy Protection:
If you want to keep your information safe and protected, then it is recommended that you opt for domain privacy protection. No one wants their personal information to get into the wrong hands and a little price for privacy is something we can all afford. There are a number of WHOIS privacy services out there that offer affordable and reliable domain privacy protection. As they say, better safe than sorry!