Private Domain Registration has become a necessity on the current digital playing field. The seemingly Wild West nature of the Internet belies an intricate set of rules under the hood that are strictly followed in order to make sure the cogs fit and keep on turning. One such element that falls under the scope of these rules is a Domain Name. Domain Names represent an IP (Internet Protocol) which in turn could represent a web host, a web site itself and any other resource that communicates through the world wide web. ICANN, the organization responsible for the global Internet system, requires Domain Name Registrars to maintain a WHOIS directory for all registered domains.
These WHOIS directories are publicly available and designed so anyone anywhere can access these Domain records. In short, if you need to maintain any kind of Internet presence, you need to register a Domain Name with a Domain Registrar. In doing so, in accordance with the broad policy set by ICANN, all of your details including phone numbers, e-mail addresses and physical mailing address will be made available to the general public in the aforementioned WHOIS directory. Whatever good this oft criticized policy might do is mitigated by the fact that any person with malafide intent can manipulate your WHOIS information for his own unwholesome plans.
The WHOIS service allows spammers to generate Domain related spam. It enables identity thieves and Domain name hijackers to gather your pertinent information. Add the possibility of stalkers, harassment and data mining to that and you have quite a good reason to be alarmed. But to allay these privacy issues, a number of domain name registrars have started offering a new service, Private Domain Registration. In this method, you opt for a privacy option when registering a domain name.
The Domain registrar then replaces your true information in the WHOIS directory with proxy information including. e-mail address, phone number and address. Any contact initiated on these «forwarding» addresses will be monitored, filtered and then forwarded to your actual telephone number, e-mail or physical address. This WHOIS Privacy creates a firewall that insures only genuine requests for your true identity can have access to that sensitive information. Some of the firms that enable domain name servers to offer this anonymity are Domains by Proxy and eNom’s «ID Protect» service. However, activating the Anonymous or Private Domain Registration does not in any way compromise your rights as the owner of that domain name. You have the full authority to initiate any administrative action any time.
These benefits include but are not limited to selling, canceling, renewing or transferring your domain… Setting up your desired name servers and the legal right to resolve any disputes regarding the domain name. Private Domain Registration is now offered by most domain name registrars for a nominal extra fee. The level of security and the piece of mind that this additional security layer affords adds great value to your digital assets. There really isn’t any excuse not to benefit from this value-added service.
