The WHOIS protocol allows anyone to query databases that store information about registered domain names. This information typically includes the name, address, and contact information of the domain name owner. In some cases, this information is publicly available, which can make domain owners vulnerable to spam, scams, and other forms of cybercrime.
To protect their privacy, many domain owners choose to use a WHOIS privacy service, which masks their personal information in the WHOIS database. Instead of showing their real contact information, the WHOIS record will show the contact information of the privacy service provider. This effectively hides the domain owner’s personal information from the public, while still allowing them to register and use their domain name.
Domain investors that list their domains for sale, on the other hand, might or might not benefit from keeping their WHOIS info under privacy.
The Domain King, Rick Schwartz, referred to the practice of listing domains for sale, all while hiding the registrant’s contact info in the WHOIS as “the dumbest thing” in business:
“Why anyone in their right mind would put a domain up for sale and then hide all the contact info is beyond me. I have no idea why domainers do this. I can’t think of ANYTHING in this business that is dumber than that! WHY???”
Rick’s Twitter account is currently set in private mode, which enables only his followers to read his tweets.
Additionally, Rick Schwartz talked about the apparent practice by domain registrars to set WHOIS privacy as the default option:
“So ask yourself why would the default be privacy? Oh yes, there’s a financial benefit. The benefit is not to the domain owner. It’s to the registrar that controls the domain cause all information filters through him. Always follow the money. Domainers are absolutely clueless!”
The truth is that this practice varies among domain registrars and it does not appear to be the default option in most of them; many allow the registrant to create user profiles with or without WHOIS privacy, using them as they please.
Let’s take a poll on your approach to WHOIS privacy:
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