WHOIS Privacy FAQ

Q: What is WHOIS Privacy?

A: WHOIS Privacy is a service which can be added to your domain name. When a domain name is registered, your personal information is attached to the domain name and is visible to the public. The WHOIS Privacy service updates your domain name with generic information, protecting your identity. Parties wishing to contact you may do so through an intermediary address at www.contactprivacy.com. Your personal information will never be made available.

Q: What domain name extensions (TLDs) are eligible for WHOIS Privacy?

A: WHOIS Privacy is available for the following TLDs: .Com, .Net, .Org, .Info, .Biz, .Bz, .Cc, .Co, .Me, .Mobi, .Name, .Tv, .WS

Note: You can view our full TLD pricing and Privacy availability list on our pricing page here.

Q: How do I order WHOIS Privacy for my domain name?

A: To enable WHOIS Privacy for your domain name, you may purchase it through our Control Panel. The charge for this service is $2 per domain name per year. Log in to your control panel at https://my.hostmysite.com and do the following:

• Click the Registered Domains tab at the top of the control panel menu.
• Click on the desired domain from your domain list.
• Click the Resources tab and then click the Upgrade Resource Limits button.
• Select 'On' for the New Limit drop down box and click 'Next'.
• Select your payment method from the drop down box and enter in payment details if needed and then click 'Place Order'. Privacy is enabled and reflected in Whois within 60 minutes.

Q: What information is displayed for my domain name?

A: The information displayed is related to www.contactprivacy.com, the company responsible for providing the WHOIS Privacy service. An email address is created using the format domainname.com@contactprivacy.com. Messages sent to the contact email address are sent back an automated response letting the sender know they can fill out a form at http://www.contactprivacy.com that will be forwarded on to the domain owner. Here is what the domain contacts look like:

Contact Privacy Inc. Customer 0xxxxxxxx, domain.com@contactprivacy.com

96 Mowat Ave

Toronto, ON M6K 3M1

CA

+1.4165385457

A message near the bottom of the whois output displays the following:

This domain's privacy is protected by contactprivacy.com. To reach the domain contacts, please go to http://www.contactprivacy.com and follow the instructions.

Q: Do I still have ownership of my domain name?

A: Yes, you still have ownership of your domain name after WHOIS Privacy is enabled. The WHOIS Privacy service protects your identity, it does not change the owner of the domain name. Unlike some proxy services where your domain is technically owned by a third party and requires a separate account to maintain your contact information our Registrars privacy service provides a mask between what information you have on file and the data presented in whois lookups.