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Domain registrations require valid and up-to-date contact information about the individual registering the domain. This contact information is stored in a publicly accessible WHOIS database.
Enabling WHOIS Privacy Protection redacts the registration details from the WHOIS database to keep your personal details safe.
Once enabled, instead of displaying a domain registrant's email address and other personal details, the WHOIS lookup displays placeholder information including an email address in the format of domain.tld@contactprivacy.com. This is a working address. Contact to the redacted email address will respond with an automated email that links to an online form to submit a request. Once submitted, the request is sent to the registrant's email address.
This way, spammers are filtered out, and only a real person can contact you, the domain registrant.
WHOIS Privacy Protection may be enabled for one domain or several. You can do so during registration or at any time afterward from within your domain management account.
Simply click the convenient Enable / Disable Privacy Protection option in the Privacy Protection section. You can turn Auto-Renewal for this service off or on in the same area via the toggle.
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The Privacy service expires at the same time as the domain name. The cost of the WHOIS Privacy Protection subscription is due when the service is added. When your domain is set to auto-renew, the Privacy service auto-renews at the same time.
If WHOIS Privacy Protection is disabled while your domain is still active, the complete registration records with your personal information may become visible again to anyone who searches the WHOIS database for your domain name.
There are no partial or prorated refunds for cancelling WHOIS Privacy Protection prior to the end of its current subscription time.
Domain registrations require valid contact information about the individual registering a domain which may be viewed in a public WHOIS lookup. If this is something you're concerned about, then adding WHOIS Privacy Protection is a great way to keep your contact information private. This prevents spammers from learning your real email address and keeps spam out of your inbox.
Conversely, some domain owners may want to publish their registration details. Companies and other entities that own domains may prefer that people can find their contact information associated with a domain as part of their company transparency. It is up to your preference.
No. Since rules for each TLD are set by their individual registries, if you're thinking of purchasing a new domain and adding WHOIS Privacy Protection, it's a good idea to check the registry requirements first.
For example, .US domains must comply with the rules set by Nexus which include not only a residency component, but specify that Privacy Protection is not supported.
No, you are under no obligation to respond to messages sent to you through the WHOIS Privacy Protection service.
On occasion, important communications are sent to registrants through this service in addition to other methods, or sometimes when other means have failed.
Because of this, it's a good idea to at least review any incoming messages. If they're spam or not important to you (as in the case of requests to sell your domain when you have no intention of doing so), you can safely ignore them and are not required to reply.
Need additional support? Submit a domains ticket here.