Domain Privacy Protection (WHOIS Privacy)
What Is Domain Privacy Protection?
When you register a domain name, ICANN requires that your contact information — name, address, phone number, and email — be stored in the WHOIS database. By default, this information is publicly accessible to anyone who performs a WHOIS lookup.
Domain Privacy Protection (also called WHOIS Privacy) replaces your personal details in the public WHOIS record with the information of a privacy proxy service. Your actual data remains on file with your registrar but is hidden from public view.
Why You Need WHOIS Privacy
Prevent Spam and Unwanted Contact
Without privacy protection, your email address and phone number are harvested by spammers, telemarketers, and aggressive sales teams within hours of domain registration.
Reduce Identity Theft Risk
Publicly available names, addresses, and phone numbers can be used for identity theft, phishing attacks, or social engineering. Privacy protection removes this data from public access.
Avoid Domain-Related Scams
Scammers monitor WHOIS records to send fake renewal notices, fraudulent transfer requests, and deceptive offers to domain owners. Hiding your information makes you a less visible target.
Protect Your Physical Safety
For individuals, bloggers, and small business owners who operate from home, a public WHOIS record exposes your home address to anyone on the internet.
How It Works
When domain privacy is enabled:
- A WHOIS lookup on your domain displays the proxy service’s contact details instead of yours.
- Email sent to the proxy address is forwarded to your real email, so you still receive legitimate correspondence.
- Your actual registration data remains securely on file with your registrar and is accessible only by authorized parties (e.g., under legal processes).
What Information Is Protected?
| WHOIS Field | Without Privacy | With Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Registrant Name | Your real name | Proxy service name |
| Organization | Your company name | Privacy proxy identifier |
| Street Address | Your physical address | Proxy address |
| Phone Number | Your phone number | Proxy phone number |
| Email Address | Your email | Proxy forwarding address |
Enabling Privacy Protection with 10Corp
- Log in to your 10Corp account and go to your domain management dashboard.
- Select the domain you want to protect.
- Enable Domain Privacy Protection from the domain settings page.
- Privacy takes effect within minutes — your WHOIS record will display proxy information.
You can also add privacy protection during the domain registration or transfer process.
Important Notes
- Domain privacy is available for most generic TLDs (.com, .net, .org, etc.) but may not be available for certain country-code TLDs due to registry requirements.
- Privacy protection does not affect your ownership or control of the domain.
- You can disable privacy protection at any time if needed.
- Some domain transfers may require temporarily disabling privacy to unlock the domain.
For questions about domain privacy, contact 10Corp support.