Domain Names: What Is WHOIS Privacy?
In today’s society, it’s common to see businesses, even small ones, with their own websites. Having a website is a fantastic way to stay in touch with your client base or to generate revenue via ads.
However, many of us may be unaware of how much information about our personal lives is available once we register a domain. When you set up a website, you must register a domain, but only some registrars offer “domain privacy,” which protects your personal information. WHOIS is a type of internet record keeper that monitors who owns domains and how people can get in touch with them.
This may sound great on paper, but you may not want your personal details to be freely available. WHOIS Privacy is a service that protects your identity and privacy.
Table of Contents
If You Own a Website, You’re in the WHOIS Database
If you go online and register a domain name, your web host will ask you to provide some necessary information while you’re choosing your domain name and entering your credit card details to purchase it. After you’ve successfully purchased a domain name, your web host puts the information you provided and enters it into the WHOIS database.
The WHOIS database is just what it sounds like – it’s a massive database listing every individual’s name and personal information who purchases a domain name. The WHOIS Database belongs to an organization called ICANN – the Internet Corporation For Assigned Names And Numbers.
What Information Is in the WHOIS Database?
If you own a website domain and want to figure out what information is in your domain’s profile, then go to the WHOIS database and put it in the domain name for your business. While each entry in the WHOIS database will look a little different, most domains will return sensitive personal information that could fall into the wrong hands.
If I run a search for the domain rainydayplumbing.com, the WHOIS Database would return an entry similar to this:
Johnson, John
342 Akaska Street
Lawrence, KS 66049
1-785-111-1111
WHOIS Privacy Will Protect Your Personal Information
While law-abiding third parties and individuals need to contact domain name owners if they have to, the WHOIS database leaves far too much personal information and other data vulnerable to hackers, identity thieves, and even stalkers.
Website owners can purchase WHOIS Privacy Protection through their web hosts. This service removes your personal information from the WHOIS database. It replaces it with information that allows individuals and third parties to contact you in a way that does not leave your valuable personal information exposed.
Also Read: Best E-Commerce Web Hosting for 2021
For example, suppose that I performed the same search for my friend John Johnson’s plumbing business in the WHOIS directory. In this scenario, my friend John Johnson contacted his hosting provider Midwest Web Hosting and purchased WHOIS Privacy Protection. Now, when I run a search in WHOIS for rainydayplumbing.com, I see this:
MidwestWebHosting.com
121 Vermont Avenue
Olathe, KS 66321
913-111-1111
WHOIS Privacy Protection Is Affordable and Easy to Obtain
As you can see, purchasing WHOIS Privacy Protection through your hosting provider is an excellent way to ensure that your details aren’t in the WHOIS database where anyone can access them.
By purchasing WHOIS Privacy Protection, if someone tries to look up your domain in the WHOIS database, all they will see is your hosting provider’s current contact information. If a legitimate third party has accessed your WHOIS record and wants to get in touch with you, they can still reach out.
Take Control of Your Personal Information with WHOIS Privacy
In its current form, the WHOIS Database is more of an anachronism than a real threat to your personal information. Websites in 2021 have all manner of tools that allow interested third parties and online consumers to reach out to the people behind their favorite websites and products, so there’s no reason for WHOIS to have your contact information.
If you’re the registered owner of a domain name, and you think your personal information might be in the WHOIS database, purchase WHOIS Privacy Protection today, and keep your contact information private.
