R4L/Services/Registration/Whois-Privacy

Whois Privacy

When you register a domain name with any domain registrar, you will submit contact information for the following positions:

• Registrant Contact (the owner)
• Administrative Contact (approves critical changes via email)
• Billing Contact (will receive renewal notices & receipts)
• Technical Contact (usually the domain's host or registrar)

ICANN, the body that oversees domain registration and registrars for gTLDs, requires all domains to have complete and accurate contact information. Domains that are not confirmed are now subject to suspension under ICANN's new rules. Each contact position will contain information for:

• Individual's first and last name
• Company name if applicable
• Email address
• Postal address
• Telephone and optional fax number

With Whois privacy enabled, we maintain your contact information in our local databases. In the public Whois record, however, contact information shown is that for the Whois privacy service and not yours. If someone wants to contact a registrant through the information in the Whois record, they are directed to a web page and asked to fill out a contact form online. That contact information is then emailed to you without a need to expose your email address or other contact information publicly.

Accredited registrars are also required to maintain registrant's information in escrow for safe keeping. In the event a registrar loses accreditation, this information is available to the registrar to which the domains would be moved.