We’ve been offering “whois privacy” with .com and .net domain names for several years.
We have now extended the service to include several other domain name extensions, which means you can now get it with the following domain names:
- .biz domains
- .buzz domains
- .com domains
- .org domains
- .co domains
- .mobi domains
- .net domains
- .space domains
- .tv domains
- .social domains
- .me domains
- .club domains
- .cc domains
- .irish domains
- .info domains
- .website domains
So, what exactly is Whois privacy and what does it do?
Whois privacy means that your contact details are not exposed in the public whois directory. Pretty simply it replaces your actual contact details with those of our Whois Privacy service provider – Whois Privacy Ltd.
Is the domain name still mine?
Yes, of course it is. The only thing that is getting changed is the public whois details.
Why does this matter?
Unfortunately whois data is abused by spammers and others. By obfuscating your contact details automated systems that scrape the whois database won’t be able to access your phone number, real email address and your physical address.
Who should use Whois privacy?
Anyone who wants to obfuscate their contact details in the public whois. Bear in mind, however, that under Irish and EU law companies are obliged to publish their company details on any public facing websites.
Who is “Whois Privacy Ltd”?
Whois Privacy Ltd is a separate legal entity that we use to provide the whois privacy service to our clients.
Is whois privacy legal?
Yes it is.
Do you plan to offer WHOIS privacy with other domain name extensions?
We will add the service to other domain extensions. Feel free to ask.
Is it possible to have whois privacy with any domain name extension?
No. Some domain name registries do not permit whois privacy or proxy services.
Can I get whois privacy with a .ie domain name?
No you can’t. However the whois output for .ie domain names is quite limited and will only show the registrant name. Your contact details are not published (ie. no email, phone or physical address)
Can I add whois privacy to my existing domain(s)?
Yes. Just follow the instructions here.
About the Author: Michele Neylon
2 Comments
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Are you aware of any negative consequences of masking your domains’ whois records? E.g. does any search engines or something consider domains without actual information in their whois less trustworthy than domains with accurate data? Or anything else like domain blacklists/content filters defaulting to blocking domains without whois information.
If not, why wouldnt’t this be on by default everywhere and the whole whois record system discontinued?
Daniel
There’s very little downside for personal domain registrations, though it can make it harder to get SSL certs for a business registration.
There have been discussions around whois for years and while some people would love to see WHOIS go away there are also many people who want whois to stay.
Michele