Google operates an ICANN-accredited domain registrar, among its many ventures.
Domain investors using Google to register and manage domain names often go there not because of discounted pricing, but because of the expected level of security. That might not work out in the end as Jay Westerdal found out.
Google’s online help contains an entry about “Domain Escrow” that differs from what most domain investors have in mind. Typically, a domain escrow is a service that securely exchanges domains for money upon a sale; one such provider is Escrow.com.
Domain escrow – Photo by Manuel Geissinger via Pexels
In this helpdesk entry, Google defines “domain escrow” as follows:
ICANN requires all domain registrars to place domain contact information in escrow. This ensures that definitive decisions can be made about domain name ownership in the event that a problem occurs with the domain registrar.
So which escrow does Google use to safeguard such domain data? According to Google:
Iron Mountain Incorporated is the escrow agent for Google Domains. For more information, visit their site at www.ironmountain.com.
Note: The contact information that is escrowed for your domain is based on your private registration setting.
It appears that Iron Mountain‘s the guardian of data for domains registered at Google.
Do you know who is guarding your WHOIS / Registrant data at other domain registrars such as GoDaddy, Uniregistry, Name.com, or Namecheap?
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They have no choice in the matter, as Iron Mountain is ICANN’s only approved vendor for registrar data escrow. Every ICANN accredited registrar must use Iron Mountain for data escrow, or they will lose their accreditation.