At InMotion Hosting, private domain name registration is a specialized service we offer to protect your personal information and enhance your online privacy. When you register a domain name, certain personal details such as your name, address, phone number, and email address are typically required to be publicly accessible in the WHOIS database. This transparency is meant to facilitate communication and accountability within the online space.
What is Private Domain Registration?
Private domain name registration, also known as domain privacy or WHOIS privacy, is a valuable service that InMotion Hosting provides to safeguard the personal information of domain owners from public visibility within the WHOIS database. The WHOIS database acts as a public directory containing details about domain ownership, including names, addresses, contact numbers, and email addresses.
When individuals or businesses register a domain name, they are required to provide accurate contact information, which includes personal details like names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers. This information is stored in the publicly accessible WHOIS database, allowing anyone to access the domain owner’s information. This accessibility serves to facilitate communication between domain owners and users, and it also assists law enforcement and legal entities in addressing online abuses and fraudulent activities.
However, the exposure of personal information in the WHOIS database can raise concerns regarding privacy and security. This is where InMotion Hosting’s domain privacy services come into play. By enabling domain privacy for a registered domain, our service acts as an intermediary between the domain owner and the public WHOIS database. This means that the contact information displayed in the WHOIS database is that of InMotion Hosting rather than the individual’s personal details. This proactive measure helps mitigate risks associated with misuse of personal data by spammers, identity thieves, and other malicious entities.
Domain Privacy Benefits
In opting for InMotion Hosting’s domain privacy, customers can achieve the following:
- Your Personal Information is Protected: The service prevents personal details like names, addresses, and contact information from being easily accessible through WHOIS lookups.
- Spam/Phishing Prevention: With domain privacy, the exposure to unsolicited emails, phone calls, and marketing is significantly reduced. This prevents phishing emails since those scams won’t reach your true email address.
- Enhanced Anonymity: Those desiring anonymity, such as individuals running personal websites or blogs, can maintain their privacy.
- Increased Security: By limiting the visibility of your personal information, you reduce the risk of cyberattacks and attempts to compromise your online identity.
- Mitigate Unwanted Attention: Particularly for notable individuals and businesses, domain privacy ensures that your personal information isn’t readily available, minimizing unwarranted attention.
- Peace of Mind: Private domain registration offers you the assurance that your personal information is being handled responsibly and with your privacy in mind.
How Domain Privacy Works
When you opt for private domain name registration with InMotion Hosting, we act as an intermediary between your domain and the public WHOIS database. This means that instead of your personal contact information being displayed, our company’s information is presented to the public. This includes email address, phone number, and physical address. The only thing we do not change is the Organization Name, as that is the legal owner of the domain.
Below is a sample of how this data, known as WHOIS information, would be viewed both with and without Domain Privacy for a fictional John Doe. The ‘example.com’ domain would be replaced by the appropriate domain in a real domain registration.
| Data Field | Without Domain Privacy | With Domain Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Organization Name | John Doe | John Doe |
| Contact Name | John Doe | Domain Administrator |
| Address Line 1 | 123 Any Street | 360 N Pacific Coast Hwy |
| Address Line 2 | Apt 101 | Suite 1055 |
| City | Metropolis | El Segundo |
| Country | United States | United States |
| State | CA | CA |
| Zip | 12345 | 90245 |
| Phone Number | +1.1111234567 | +1.7574166575 |
| Email Address | [email protected] | [email protected] |
Domain Privacy FAQs
How much is the Domain Privacy feature?
Currently, domain privacy can be added to a domain name for $15.99 per year per domain. For example, one domain is $15.99 per year, two domains are $31.98 per year, etc…
How do I add Domain Privacy to my domain?
Current InMotion Hosting customers can use the ticket portal in AMP to submit a ticket, or call 757-416-6575 for assistance. If you are a new customer and do not have an account with us, please contact sales at [email protected] or you can transfer your domain.
Why is the Organization Name not changed?
The Organization Name is the legal owner of the domain. Keeping your name in the slot avoids any confusion over ownership of the domain name. This means by leaving your name in the Organization Name spot, you retain all legal ownership.
Can I use my Business Name as the Organization Name?
Yes, the Organization Name can be any legal entity, such as an individual or business.
Can I have Domain Privacy only on specific domains?
Yes, you do not have to use privacy on all your domains, if you only want to use it on one domain, you will only be charged for privacy on that domain.
Can I remove Domain Privacy once it is purchased?
Although the $15.99 charge per domain is generally non-refundable, you can remove the privacy from your domain or cancel the auto-renewal at any time.
Conclusion
It’s important to understand that while domain privacy enhances security against most automated data mining and spam, it might not provide absolute protection against all forms of data harvesting or determined efforts to unveil identities.
Prospective users of domain privacy should evaluate the balance between privacy and transparency. Although domain privacy shields personal information, it’s essential to recognize that it could make it slightly harder for legitimate parties like potential partners or customers to initiate contact if necessary. At InMotion Hosting, we’re committed to providing solutions that cater to your privacy needs while maintaining effective online communication channels.
Same. I’m on the checkout page selecting my plan and (limited) features and didn’t see any privacy option (bluehost gives you one, and google gives you free protection that’s mentioned in the description).. I used google to find this page, and that fact has me a little hesitant to click that ‘continue’ button on the checkout page now.
If you wouldn’t mind sharing what you searched that didn’t show this article as a result, we’ll try to fix this for future reference. I apologize for any inconvenience.
We are interested in changing the administrative e-mail on our domain (it doesn’t get looked at very often), but we have domain privacy enabled. Is there a way to make this change with the help of a technician? Do we have to cancel domain privacy to make the change?
Thanks
If your registered the domain through InMotion, then you can update the information directly in the Account Management Panel (AMP). If you’re having trouble with it, call into the Customer Service team and they can work with you to get that changed. If you registered the domain through another service, then you will need to disable the privacy temporarily and then have the administrator information updated through that service.