Private Registration FAQ

What is the difference between public and private domain name registration?

Note: If you are in the EU, you may have different rules for how your information is displayed in WHOIS. See Why is Domains By Proxy no longer available in GDPR affected areas? for more details.

Per our registrar agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the contact and registrant information listed for your domain name must be made public. Using false information is a violation and can lead to the termination of your domain name registration.

We understand most people do not want their personal contact information (name, address, email address, and phone number) made public in the Whois database. That’s why we have offered Private Registration services since 2002.

When you purchase Private Registration services, the Whois database lists a generic name, mailing address, and phone number instead of your personal contact information.

we also create a private unique email address for your domain name — you decide to have any arriving email forwarded, filtered for spam, or not forwarded at all.

• Cancel, sell, or renew your domain name
• Control the content for your website
• Set the nameservers for your domain name
• Update your underlying domain name contact information
• Resolve any and all disputes involving your domain name

• Protect your identity
• Stop domain name-related spam
• Thwart harassers and stalkers
• End data mining
• Maintain personal and family privacy
• Prevent your domain from being hijacked
• Shield legitimate entrepreneurial business endeavors
• Voice political and other First Amendment speech

We do not allow you to use our private domain name services for spamming, violating the law, or engaging in morally objectionable activities. Violating these policies will result in service cancellation.

Can I request a Premium Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate for a private domain?

Yes, you can request an Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate for a privately-registered domain name. We need to verify that you control the domain you intend to secure, and EV certificates have strict verification guidelines.

To verify that you control the domain, you must respond to emails sent to the Registrant or Administrative contacts listed in a Whois search for the domain name. Because private registration services block personal email addresses from displaying, many registrars let users forward email received by the proxy address. After you set up email forwarding, contact us to resend the email.

Note: If you have private registration, see Set email forwarding for domains with privacy to set up email forwarding in your account.

If you cannot configure email forwarding, or you are unable to verify using this method, you must submit a Verified Legal Opinion or a CPA letter indicating your exclusive right to use the domain name on the Internet. See Request an SSL certificate (Deluxe or Extended Validation) for more information.

You might also need to perform a practical demonstration, such as modifying the domain's zone file or creating a Web page with a designated code.

How does Business Registration affect Private Registration?

Business Registration works in conjunction with Private Registration (also known as privacy) to keep your personal information private while promoting your business.

Private Registration shields your personal contact information, which is separate from your Business Registration information. Business Registration contains only the information you want to make public, such as business hours, office phone numbers, and fax numbers.

If you want to have both types of registration, you must purchase them separately.

Why do expiring domain names have private Whois contact information?

Our system hides your contact information during your domain name's expiration period to protect you from harassment. Here's how the private contact information displays in the Whois database:

Things you should know:

• If the private contact information already displays for a domain name during expiration, we won't change it.
• If you want to transfer the domain name away from us during the auto-renew grace period, we will automatically revert the private contact information to your original registrant information when you request the authorization code.
• We can revert private Whois information back to your original registrant information at any time.
  

Note: At this time, we cannot make all expiring TLDs private. We are working to provide this service for all TLDs in the future.