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Never Pay for Domain Masking Again

by AuthorityRush
13 replies
This resulted from me actually getting slammed in another thread, so I want to write out something that I think may help a few people. When you register a domian and use all of your "real" information, you may not realize it, but you are being data mined.

Meaning people look at the whois database and grab your details and send you a bunch of SPAM, or worse, you get fake crap saying that your domain is at risk or has been stolen to send you to their sales page.


So what is one to do? Simple.

Use your initials when registering your domain. No law against that. For address, use a PO Box. For the email, open an email account with google or hotmail only for the registering of your domain. Then all the spam doesn't get read, but you still "own" the domain.

Or easier, if you have more than one domain, set up an email on another domain to handle it all. Like domains@mywebsite.com. Easy. Then you never need to buy privacy again!

If you ever wondered why you had a large influx of spam all of a sudden and you just purchased a domain, that is most likely the cause. So guard yourself from the start, for free!
#domain #masking #pay #whois
  • Profile picture of the author onegoodman
    It is true, when you mask the domain (make who.is private) it make the company that registered the domain is the one who own the domain and not you.

    If you are registered with a shady company, and thought your domain is worthy enough they can take it.

    I think most of us relay on the fact that these companies are already pretty rich and we don't have to worry about them (I am sure many are not aware that they don't their own domain when they purchase privacy for the domain).

    This is one of the issues where security and privacy don't go along. I am sure for those who have their office out of home, shouldn't be an issue. However, adding personal phone number, or home address, ... on who.is certainly is not a smart move either. After all you don't want your public information available on who.is, you never know who can get his hand on these information.

    However, I do believe, if a domain company tried to take such an action (steal your masked domain), you as a registered website owner, should have enough prove (payment, receipts from the company) that proves you own the domain and can retrieve it in court.
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  • Profile picture of the author AuthorityRush
    I sure would hope so. But it's never happened to me nor have I ever read about it. So I really don't know. Was just an eye opening post.
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  • Profile picture of the author davejug1
    Originally Posted by StreetBacon View Post

    Did you know that when you use a whois domain privacy service, they legally own the domain?
    I for one did not know that but thinking about it, it makes perfect sense, I just didn't put 2 & 2 together.

    Silly me. Could be an issue if you are using a pen-name and someone has to gumption to check.
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
    Originally Posted by StreetBacon View Post

    Did you know that when you use a whois domain privacy service, they legally own the domain?
    When you register a domain with NameCheap, you provide your real information, but you have the option to use the WhoIsGuard privacy service which displays their generic information in place of yours during a Whois search. They are obliged to forward to you any email sent to that address.

    NameCheap states that you retain ownership of the domain, but in any case, it would be strange if the Whois display was the only method ICANN relied on to determine ownership.

    I'd also be a little wary of attaching great credence to an article that just happened to be a prelude to a sales pitch for a service (owned by the authors) purporting to solve the problem being highlighted.


    Frank
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    • Profile picture of the author cardine
      Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post

      When you register a domain with NameCheap, you provide your real information, but you have the option to use the WhoIsGuard privacy service which displays their generic information in place of yours during a Whois search. They are obliged to forward to you any email sent to that address.

      NameCheap states that you retain ownership of the domain, but in any case, it would be strange if the Whois display was the only method ICANN relied on to determine ownership.

      I'd also be a little wary of attaching great credence to an article that just happened to be a prelude to a sales pitch for a service (owned by the authors) purporting to solve the problem being highlighted.

      And just to be completely safe I asked a friend of mine who is an internet lawyer and he agreed with me; the article in the OP is flat out wrong.


      Frank
      I'm also a little bit wary of this sales page. Looks like it is manufacturing some fear in order to sell a product.

      Saying that using whois privacy means you don't own the domain name is basically the same thing as saying if you use Google Voice for your phone number than Google owns your domain name. All whois protection services are doing is providing forwarding services for you.

      Also just to be sure I asked a friend of mine who is an internet lawyer and he confirmed that the article the OP posted is wrong.



      Originally Posted by Frank Donovan View Post

      Technology & Marketing Law Blog: Contributory Cybersquatting and the Impending Demise of Domain Name Proxy Services?--Solid Host v. NameCheap

      On first reading, it appears to me that it's more about due diligence on behalf of the registrar when it comes to registering domain ownership and the repercussions that any negligence in that regard may have on, for example, domain cybersquatting, than about the actual issue with privacy service domain ownership.
      That is how I read that article as well. It states that the registrar doesn't own the domain name, but can be held legally responsible for providing whois protection for the domain.
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  • Profile picture of the author UMS
    I was also a little wary of an article that is essentially a sales page, so I did some searching.

    It's definitely a grey area as the following court case against NameCheap demonstrates.

    Registrar Sued Because of Cybersquatter Using Whois Privacy Service | Domain Name News (DNN)
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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
      Peter, thanks for the link. That's an interesting read.

      The case in question seems rather murky. I'm no lawyer, but Eric Goldman is, apparently, and his blog post describes some confusing inconsistencies in the ruling.

      Technology & Marketing Law Blog: Contributory Cybersquatting and the Impending Demise of Domain Name Proxy Services?--Solid Host v. NameCheap

      On first reading, it appears to me that it's more about due diligence on behalf of the registrar when it comes to registering domain ownership and the repercussions that any negligence in that regard may have on, for example, domain cybersquatting, than about the actual issue with privacy service domain ownership.

      Also, this ruling is from 2009. Wonder if there's been any update since.


      Frank
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  • Profile picture of the author Vonmoore
    I think in general, for internet marketing it pays to have a PO box or a commercial mail receiving address. And I'd agree, you could use it to add some privacy to your WHOIS registration. Using initials I'm not sure about.
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  • Profile picture of the author AuthorityRush
    Seeing that it looks like the article I had attached is wrong, I took it out of the original post. Sorry, should have researched better. I really don't want to be spreading misinformation. But the rest of it should be fine.
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    • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
      Originally Posted by StreetBacon View Post

      Seeing that it looks like the article I had attached is wrong, I took it out of the original post. Sorry, should have researched better. I really don't want to be spreading misinformation. But the rest of it should be fine.
      Actually, the article sparked off some interesting research and unearthed the case Peter linked to. That was new to me, so I, for one, am grateful you brought up the subject.


      Frank
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  • Profile picture of the author AuthorityRush
    Thanks, Frank. Glad it sparked in a productive manner.
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  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    The thread was interesting and I agree with Frank: it resulted some interesting links.

    I am glad you removed the link to that article.

    Now it's onegoodman's turn to show up and either provide proof for his confusing statement ("when you mask the domain (make who.is private) it make the company that registered the domain is the one who own the domain and not you.") or to say: sorry, I was wrong :p

    [p.s. "confusing statement" because if someone doesn't know the meaning of a technical term - domain masking - should not use it at all...

    EDIT. Oops - I just saw the OP should not use that phrase either ]
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  • Profile picture of the author AuthorityRush
    Can't change the title.
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