June 03, 2022
Do You Need Domain Privacy Protection? A Quick Guide

With the rise of data breaches, spam calls, and hacking attempts, it’s essential to protect your personal information wherever you can.

Unfortunately, registering a domain name could inadvertently expose your private information to the internet.

Before you close your internet accounts and run for the hills, hear us out.

You have a way to protect your data and keep your personal information private: domain privacy protection.

In this guide, we discuss whether or not domain privacy protection is worth it, the reasons to consider it, and how to add it to your domain names.

Domain Privacy Protection 101

Domain privacy protection is a security service that hides key details about your website and the domain registrant (you, the domain owner) from the public WHOIS database.

You can often acquire this supplementary security service when purchasing a domain name.

What Is the WHOIS Database?

WHOIS is short for “Who is responsible for this domain name” and is an apt description of what the database contains. It lists registration data verified by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for every registered domain name on the internet.

Domain name registration companies use the database to enable customers to see if their preferred domain has already been taken and contact the owner if they want a taken domain name.

ICANN website.


Besides acting as a collection of all registered domain names, the WHOIS directory includes detailed information about the domain registrant like:

  • Name.
  • Physical address.
  • Mailing address.
  • Phone number.

Do You Need Domain Privacy Protection?

Yes. Unless you want to sell your domain name, you need domain privacy protection to prevent people from accessing your personal contact information, reduce spam sales calls, and protect your website from hacking attempts.

Is Domain Privacy Protection Worth It?

Domain privacy protection is worth it.

Why?

Because domain privacy protection enables you to secure your personal info, and it helps you:

Prevent Strangers From Accessing Your Personal Data

You can use domain privacy protection to decrease the risk of data breaches. It lets you avoid handing over your personal data to the entire internet.

The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) shares that data breaches affected 189.5 million people in 2021, leading to phishing attacks, spam calls, and identity theft.

Reduce Unsolicited Sales and Spam Calls

Another reason domain privacy protection is worth it is due to the spam calls and texts people receive each day. Sales calls, phishing texts, spoofed-number spam calls, and even spam emails from scammers are quite widespread.

For instance, TrueCaller shares that 59% of Americans reported receiving scam phone calls and text messages related to COVID-19 in 2021, an increase of 15% from the prior year. 

By enacting domain privacy, you eliminate a source spammers use to retrieve new numbers to call.

Minimize Hacking Attempts on Your Website

IBM X-Force observed that 22% of attacks in Q2 of 2021 were tied to stolen credentials. What does this have to do with domain privacy?

Without domain privacy protection, you give one part of your credentials — your email — without any effort. And with your name, physical address, and WordPress website information present at their disposal, hackers have plenty to go on to crack your password.

How To Make Your Domain Name Private

Usually, it’s good to get domain privacy protection when you buy your domain name. Go through your domain name registrar and tick the relevant checkbox during the buying process to get this protection.

It’s a simple process and adds only a small additional fee per year.

For instance, here’s how you can get domain privacy protection when you purchase your domain name via Nexcess.

1. Enter the domain name you’d like to purchase on the domain registrar page.

Nexcess domain name registration page.

2. Verify the domain you’d like to register and add any additional domains you want on the next page.

Adding the domain name details.

3. At the bottom of the screen, under Add-ons > General, check the box next to Whois Privacy.

Adding domain name privacy.

4. Click Add to Cart and complete the checkout process for your new domain name — with privacy protection included.

Can You Add Domain Privacy Protection Later?

You can add domain protection after domain registration. Log in to the control panel for your domain provider and purchase Whois privacy as an add-on.

Still, adding domain privacy at the outset is preferable because your personal information will be posted publicly until you do so.

That will give scammers time to grab up your personal data.

Can Everyone Get Domain Privacy Protection?

Unfortunately, even if you realize domain privacy protection is worth it, not every website owner can get it. Some domain endings are restricted for use in specific countries or specific purposes.

To check if your domain ending qualifies, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Domain ending TLD reference provided by Google Domains.

2. Click your domain ending.

3. Click Privacy. If allowed, it should say so, as shown below.

Privacy protection is allowed for the .blog domain ending.

If your domain ending can be protected, consider doing so. It’s a quick and easy way to prevent unwanted emails, unwanted calls, and hacking attempts.

Final Thoughts: Do You Need Domain Privacy Protection? A Quick Guide

To sum it up, domain privacy protection is worth it if you want to prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands. That may mean protection from hacking attempts or a haven against scammers.

Register your domain with Nexcess and enjoy full anonymity with the Whois Privacy add-on.

Maddy Osman
Maddy Osman

Maddy Osman is a WordPress expert, WordCamp US speaker, bestselling author, and the Founder and SEO Content Strategist at The Blogsmith. She has a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Iowa and is a WordCamp Denver organizer while also operating The Blogsmith, an SEO content agency for B2B tech companies that works with clients like HubSpot, Automattic, and Sprout Social. Learn more about The Blogsmith's process and get in touch to talk content strategy: www.TheBlogsmith.com

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