What Is Domain Privacy?
Domain privacy (also called WHOIS privacy) is a service that hides a domain owner's personal information — name, address, phone number, email — from the public WHOIS database by replacing it with the privacy service's details.
Why It Matters
When you register a domain, ICANN requires that your contact information is stored in the WHOIS database. Without domain privacy, anyone can look up who owns a domain and see your personal details.
Domain privacy replaces your real information with proxy details, keeping you anonymous.
What Domain Privacy Hides
| WHOIS Field | Without Privacy | With Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Name | John Smith | Privacy Proxy Inc. |
| Address | 123 Main St, Austin TX | Proxy address |
| Phone | 555-123-4567 | Proxy phone |
| john@personal.com | proxy@privacyservice.com |
Domain Privacy and Forwarding
Domain privacy has zero effect on domain forwarding. It only affects the WHOIS directory listing. Your DNS records, A records, CNAME records, and forwarding rules all work the same regardless of whether privacy is enabled.
Related Terms
Frequently
asked questions
Yes, especially for personal domains. Without it, your name, home address, phone number, and email are publicly visible in the WHOIS database. Most registrars now include privacy for free.
No. Domain privacy only affects WHOIS records. Your DNS records, domain forwarding, and website functionality are completely unaffected.
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