When you register a domain, the registry records your name, address, phone number and email as the domain's contacts. For many extensions those details are published in the public WHOIS database, which anyone can search.
What WHOIS privacy does. ID Protection replaces your personal details in public WHOIS with the details of a privacy service. You remain the legal owner of the domain and keep full control of it only what the public sees changes. Messages sent to the privacy email address are forwarded to you.
Why people use it.
- Less spam. Public WHOIS records are scraped constantly by bulk email and cold-call lists.
- Fewer scams. Fake "domain renewal" and "SEO listing" invoices are usually sent to addresses harvested from WHOIS.
- Privacy. If you run a site from home, your home address is otherwise public.
When you shouldn't use it.
- Some extensions don't support it at all, including a number of country-code domains.
- You must disable it temporarily when transferring the domain to another registrar.
- Certain business or trust signals, and some payment providers, expect a business's WHOIS to be public.
How to turn it on or off.
- Go to Domains > My Domains in your client area.
- Click the domain, then Addons in the left menu.
- Enable or disable ID Protection.
Important: This doesn't hide you from everyone. Privacy services are required to release your real details in response to valid legal process, and to the registry itself. WHOIS privacy protects you from spammers and casual searches, not from lawful investigation. Your registrant email must also stay valid and monitored, since verification emails still need to reach you.
