Many people who are unfamiliar with purchasing domain names often miss additional services offered by the vendor. An example of such a service is the domain name privacy protection. There are some arguments about whether it is necessary or not. In this article, I will be discussing why domain privacy protection is extremely important.
Why you Submit your Details During Domain Name Registration
When you register a domain name, the online form where you fill in your personal details goes to the Whois directory. This is where any person interested in a specific website can learn about the owner, their hosting company, email address, and so on. This is not a bad thing. After all people trade domain names because they can be contacted by potential buyers.
Another good reason for open information is to enable people to contact site owners if there are any legal complications such as cybersquatting or other malicious practices. If law enforcement needs to contact a person for copyright infringement, their details makes it easy.
Downside of Open Details
While there are benefits to making the details public, some people take advantage of the opportunity to misuse the information for illegal activities. For example, spamming is one way they can become a nuisance. Others include identity theft, stalking, hacking and so on. The possibilities are many and we will be discussing them later in this post.
In the past, some websites have been hijacked because the hackers access the Whois directory and harvest the emails of the targeted persons. Then they obtain access to the domain control panel of the of the owner’s domain and the rest is history.
Protecting your Domain’s Privacy
Being vulnerable to hackers is a legitimate concern, especially for businesses that handle customer data. Whether you are an entrepreneur or simply a private individual, the thought of having all of that data easily accessible by strangers can have you feeling uneasy.
Fortunately, the situation is not as hopeless as its seems. There are various ways to safeguard your private details. Most domain name registrars have an additional service for people who would like to protect their personal information.
In this case, the owner is not expected to relinquish any rights to their domain. Instead of their information in the directory, the privacy status will be enabled and only the contact information of the registrar offering this service will be visible.
Brendan, a marketing manager at Discount Domains says clients feel more confident about the privacy protection. “We have more business owners and individuals asking us about the privacy option each time they register their domain. The concern for security has grown significantly in the last decade,” he says.
While the service is free for some domain registration services, others may request a nominal fee for processing. If you care about security as much, find out from your provider is they offer privacy protection services.
Advantages of Instituting a Privacy Protection Feature
Some people believe that privacy protection is unnecessary. On the contrary, it has prevented a lot of problems. Here are some advantages:
1. Avoid Telemarketing Spam
Have you ever wondered how some marketers get your phone number to sell you their services? Sometimes, the targeting is so specific. Many of them refer to public contact records and the WhoIs directory is one of them. Your exposed email address can also result in the increase of junk mail in your inbox.
Save yourself the discomfort of unsolicited sales calls and a crammed inbox by shielding your phone numbers or email address.
2. Prevent Distrustful Persons from Getting your Details
If you are put off by spam calls from registered companies, what about more calls from suspicious individuals? With a company, you could threaten legal action, but a nameless person can put your life at risk. Protect yourself and your loved ones by keeping those details out of the public eye.
3. Share Only the Information you Want
The Privacy Protection option is flexible. If you are open to contact by legitimate persons- say someone interested in buying your domain name, but are wary about revealing too much, you can control how much you share. An email address is ok if you want to be reached. However, phone calls can do more harm than good, so keep your phone details secure.
It is easy to be tempted to fill in a phony email address when registering a domain name. It is advisable to provide the right one and then opt for privacy protection. Why? Because WhoIs is legally permitted to know who owns a website and record the information. If for some reason you need to be contacted by law enforcement officials, a phony address would put you in more trouble.
Disadvantages of Domain Name Privacy Protection
Like many things, privacy protection also has its cons. These include:
1. Loss of Potential Business
Sometimes, it is normal for a prospective business partner to want further information about your service, but a protected status may bring up nothing. For example, the Insurance.com domain was purchased for $36.5 million in 2010. Imagine if they couldn’t reach the owner of the domain, who knows, the buyers might have opted for a plan B.
2. Loss of Prospective Customers
There are people who only do business with companies they trust. A shielded domain name information can give the impression that you are hiding something. It is possible that this can prevent prospective customers, clients, or partners for initiating further interaction with your company.
As the world becomes more sensitive to privacy and the sharing of data on the internet, it poses concerns as to whether the former constitutes more harm than good. While it is right to be careful about what personal details you publicize, it is also worth noting that being too careful could cost you some benefits, especially as a business. It is up to you to determine where to draw the line. When is protection too much? Or when are you revealing excess details? Your domain name registration is just a small part. How about other aspects of your online interaction?
