Private Domain Registration: An Informed Decision for Maintaining Privacy

There are many things to think about when registering a domain name. What do you want the domain to be? How many domains should you buy? Where will you host your domain? But what many fail to consider is, how can I protect my personal information? The answer is simple: Private Domain Registration.

Did you know that when you fill out the forms when you buy a domain name that most of the personal information will be made public? Records are kept for the public WHOIS database. A WHOIS lookup allows any person to identify the owner of a given domain name. It reveals your name, your full mailing address, your phone number, and your email address. This information can be used to contact you if, for example, your website is down or somebody would like to make an offer to purchase your domain name from you. While some uses of the WHOIS lookup are valid, they are made obsolete by a simple website contact form. It's often unnecessary for this information to be available, and sometimes it can be dangerous.

Having this kind of information easily available online is a personal security risk. With the increase in identity theft, it's more important than ever to protect your personally identifying information. This article Private Domain Registration - Another Marketing Trick? telling why hiding your info is important. With your mailing address somebody could visit your house or send you junk mail. With an email address, an attacker could send you spam. With your phone number, you might notice an increase in telemarketers. Any person in the world with an internet connection can access all this information by entering your domain name in any WHOIS service (e.g. www.whois.net).

With all the risks, you might be hesitant to reserve a domain name in the first place. Don't let these risks prevent you from reserving a domain name. There is a simple solution that most domain registrars offer. It's called Private Domain Registration. For a nominal fee, the registrar will reserve the domain in the registrar's own name. The domain will still belong to you, but all WHOIS records will list the registrar instead. This will keep your personal information off publicly visible records. Is Private Domain Registration for you? It's up to you to decide, but it provides a less risky option for those concerned about securing their personal information from attackers or spammers. This security should be weighed against the cost of Private Domain Registration and an informed decision should be made.