Domain Privacy Protection (Whois Privacy)
Trustname's Whois Privacy Protection helps keep your personal information hidden from the public Whois database by replacing it with proxy contact details.
With its free two-tier privacy system, Trustname enhances your domain's security, reduces spam, and ensures compliance with privacy regulations such as GDPR while allowing you to retain full control of your domain.
Key Takeaways
- Free Two-Tier Privacy Protection – Trustname automatically protects your domain using a unique two-layer Whois privacy system at no additional cost.
- Easy To Enable And Manage – You can enable Whois Privacy during domain registration or later through the Trustname customer portal.
- Protects Your Personal Information– Your contact details are replaced with proxy information, reducing spam, identity theft risks, and unwanted solicitations.
- GDPR And ICANN Compliant – Trustname's privacy service meets ICANN requirements and helps comply with GDPR by safeguarding registrant information.
- Flexible Control With Some TLD Exceptions – You can enable or disable Whois Privacy at any time, although certain domain extensions (such as some ccTLDs) may require privacy to be turned off due to registry policies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Enabling Whois Privacy Protection
Whois Privacy Protection is a service provided by most registrars like Trustname that replaces your contact details in the Whois database with generic contact information, protecting your privacy and reducing spam.
At Trustname, you can enable Whois privacy protection for free while you are registering a domain with us and after registration through your customer portal.
How To Enable Whois Privacy Protection
- During Domain Registration
It's super easy to enable TrustName's Whois Privacy Protection while registering your domain.
When you register a new domain on TrustName.com, you can enable our Whois privacy protection right from the get-go by clicking on "Use a pre-defined contact as the first layer of Whois privacy" under "Choose Contact".
We'll register your domain under the name of our security partner, Perfect Privacy LLC, meaning your personal details never even make it to the Whois database.
While you retain full control of the domain. You can also choose to use your own name and bypass this Whois privacy layer or transfer your domain to your name later, at any time.
But Trustname takes it a step further. After registering your domain name under the name of the proxy company or your name in the initial stages.
We automatically enable our second Whois protection layer to mask the current registrant details (yours or PP LLC's) on your domain through our second partner company, Whois Privacy Protection Service LLC.
Our Two-Tiered Privacy Protection is the first of its kind, making it incredibly hard for anyone to access domain contact details (even legally) since, on the first tier, you aren't listed as the registrant on paper. We will, however, still collect the required information per ICANN regulations.
Using Proxy Services as Third-Party Registrants Is Allowed. If you've selected Trustname's recommended pre-defined contact for advanced Whois privacy for your domain name, this contact information is accurate, trustworthy, and verified.
Using privacy proxies and Whois privacy protection services, such as Perfect Privacy LLC or Whois Privacy Protection Service LLC (with whom we are partnered with) is acceptable and meets ICANN standards for Whois contact information protection.
- After Domain Registration
To enable TrustName's Whois Privacy on a domain you have already registered, follow these steps –
- Log In To The TrustName.com Customer Portal – Head to our website at Trustname.com and click on 'Log In'.
- Navigate To Your Domain List – Under the 'Domains' dropdown, click on 'Registered Domains'.
- Select The Domain – Click on the domain you want to enable Whois privacy for.
- Head To 'Privacy'– Set the Whois Privacy toggle to ON.
At Trustname, our second-tier Whois privacy is activated automatically. The first suggested level is registering a domain with a proxy owner contact. Therefore, selecting the Suggested Default Contact as the contact for a registered domain essentially masks your registrant information by replacing it with our predefined contact from Perfect Privacy LLC.
A Note On Trustname's Whois Privacy
If you choose to protect your privacy with Trustname's Whois Privacy later, rest assured that you still have full control over your domain, and all notifications related to the domain will be forwarded to your registered email, including Auth Codes for transfers.
Your personal information enjoys the most coverage since it will be removed from the Whois database and replaced with PP LLC's name. And the best part? You can change the domain registrant from our proxy partner to your name at any time by selecting a different contact and/or disabling Whois privacy.
Pros And Cons Of Domain Privacy Protection
Pros –
- Enhanced Privacy
Your personal contact information is replaced with generic or proxy details in the Whois database, protecting you from unwanted solicitations and spam.
- Reduced Risk Of Identity Theft
Your personal information is shielded from the public eye, lowering the risk of identity theft and protecting you from scammers who can use your details to exploit victims.
- Increased Security
Whois Privacy helps prevent unauthorized access to your personal information in the first place via a Whois lookup.
Cons –
- Limited Public Visibility
The generic contact information replacing your contact info may not be ideal if you need to establish public credibility or if your domain is involved in a legal dispute.
- Communication Challenges
If someone needs to contact you about your domain, they will have to go through the proxy service, which may cause delays.
The GDPR
The formation of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2016 and its official implementation in 2018 outlined new regulations for how Whois contact details should be displayed, especially for domains registered by clients in the European Union (EU). Here are some of the changes it brought –
- Redacted Information
For domain names registered by EU citizens and residents, unless explicit consent is provided, all Whois contact details must be shown as "Redacted for Privacy" to comply with GDPR. This means that personal contact details are not publicly accessible, enhancing privacy and security.
- The Sunset Of Whois
The traditional Whois system is undergoing significant changes due to privacy regulations like the GDPR. As a result, more domain registries and registrars are implementing privacy measures to protect registrant's personal information.
FAQs
Yes, you can disable your domain's Whois privacy protection at any time through the Trustname customer portal by replacing the pre-defined contact info with your own details.
Your registrant information will still be masked from the Whois database via our second layer. To disable the second layer, you will need to uncheck the Whois Privacy checkbox in the contact card section for your given domain name.
Whois privacy protection does not impact your domain's SEO. It only affects the visibility of your contact details in the Whois database.
Yes, you will still need to verify your identity as required by ICANN and Trustname. Whois privacy protection only hides your contact information from the public WHOIS database.
While the GDPR primarily covers EU-based domains, many registrars and registries are adopting similar privacy practices globally to align with privacy regulations and protect registrant's personal information.
Trustname's Whois Privacy And The GDPR
Disabling your Whois privacy - terms and acknowledgement
The GDPR requires Trustname to obtain the explicit consent of EU citizens and residents before we can publish their personal details in the Whois database.
If you are a citizen of an EU member nation or the personal details of any of your domain contacts belong to a citizen of an EU member nation, we are bound to always protect your privacy, unless you decide to turn off your domain privacy.
When you disable our Whois privacy for your domain(s) by clicking "Agree", you give your consent to allow personal details associated with your domain name registration(s) to be published in the public Whois database, as stipulated by ICANN and/or other TLD registries.
These contact details may include the first and last name, email address, phone number, and mailing address on record for your domain registrant, admin, and technical contact person.
Our Two-tier Whois privacy service is free of charge at Trustname other registrars charge $10 to $20 per year per domain for similar privacy services. And while enabled, our world-class domain privacy allows interested parties to contact you through a forwarding email address, while masking your personal details.
When you disable your domain's Whois privacy, you permit Trustname to disclose these personal Whois details for (1) the domain(s) you have currently selected and (2) any domains with our Two-Tier privacy turned OFF in the future.
You can always turn ON privacy for some or all of your domains at a later time.
TLDs That Require Disabling Trustname's Whois Privacy
When you register a domain on Trustname, we automatically add Whois privacy to your domain, especially for customers in the EU, as we are bound by the GDPR to do so.
However, note that some TLDs (many country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) including .in, .us, .tickets) do not support domain privacy, per registry regulations. However, we will still apply privacy to these domains by default.
Applying Whois privacy to such domains would mean they would violate the relevant registry's policies, and the registry may take action against said domains. To prevent this from happening, you would need to disable our Whois privacy as soon as possible.