Registering Domain Names Privately 101
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Registering Domain Names Privately
Registering domain names privately requires consumers to purchase privacy from a domain name registering company. When a consumer or company purchases a domain name to establish a Web site, they are required to provided personal information such as their name, E-mail address and physical address. This information becomes public information as a part of a directory called the WHOIS. When this information is released, it is available to everyone via the World Wide Web. Consequently, this policy allows identity thieves, spammers, direct marketers, and others, even those with malicious intent, to access personal information, and take advantage of this information by inundating E-mail boxes with spam such as solicitations, viral threats, and in some cases information phishing in an effort to steal someone else’s identity .
Registering domain names privately helps to protect privacy and reduce spam. It is a simple process that requires the purchaser of the domain name to buy privacy from the company registering the domain name. The company then replaces the customer’s email, physical address and other personal information in WHOIS with information from a forwarding service.
When registering domain names privately, user’s should search the Internet for a trusted domain name registrar. Prices range from about $5.00 per year to $50.00 a year. Note the details and the services offered by the registration company. Many companies allow users to register variations of the same domain name that directs traffic back to the user’s Web site.
Finally, consider the amount of information you have to give the company when registering domain names privately, if you are required to provide more personal information than an email address, the company may not truly provide private domain name registration. Also when registering domain names privately, the customer should look for clues in the payment methods offered by the company. Companies offering anonymous payment options provide better security as they do not have access to any of your personal information except your mail address. As a result customers can feel secure knowing that they truly are registering their domain names privately.