Most people don’t want their private information publicly available on the internet. Unfortunately, registering a domain automatically lists your name and contact details in a public directory.
The good news is that you can implement domain privacy to protect your personal information. What’s more, this small security measure could be the key to preventing devastating cyberattacks or identity theft.
In this post, we’ll discuss what domain privacy is and why you should consider using it. Then we’ll show you two ways you can implement it on your site. Let’s get started!
An introduction to domain privacy
When you register a domain for your website, you’ll usually have to provide your full name, contact information, and address. Then, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires registrars to publish that information in a public directory.
This database, called WHOIS, acts as an address book for the internet. Anyone can use this public resource to find out who owns a specific domain:
You might use this directory to find available domains, or to contact the owner of a domain you’d like to buy. However, hackers can also take advantage of this service to access and exploit sensitive information.
To avoid this issue, you can implement domain privacy. This is a service that replaces your contact details with forwarding information to a proxy server.
Why you should consider implementing domain privacy
If you don’t safeguard your domain information, your sensitive details could be at risk. You might face hacking, identity theft, spam calls and emails, or cyberattacks.
Often, domain privacy is the key to keeping your personal information secure. This kind of protection lets you:
- Conceal your identity
- Prevent competitors from accessing your information
- Avoid domain theft and third-party changes
- Increase your website security
There is just one major downside to hiding your personal information. If someone wants to buy your domain, privacy protection can make it difficult for them to contact you. However, if you’re not planning to sell your domain, this won’t be an issue.
Additionally, certain Top Level Domains (TLDs) do not support domain protection. For instance, if your URL ends in .us, .uk, or .eu, you won’t be able to get WHOIS privacy.
How to see if you already have domain privacy
Now that you know about the benefits of securing your domain, you’ll likely want to know how you can do it. If you already have a domain, it’s essential that you check to see if you already have this service before you proceed.
To do this, navigate to the ICANN lookup tool and enter your domain name:
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This article was written by Will Morris and originally published on ManageWP.