When you are registering a domain name, your information is stored in a publicly accessible Whois database. A Whois directory contains your personal information (like your address and phone numbers, domain name, and internet protocol (IP) address). The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) regulates domain name registration and ownership. All websites have to have this registration to be on the internet and all registration information must be valid and accurate to keep the website on the internet.
Based on your Whois information, malicious actors can infiltrate the Whois database, identify you as a website owner and capture your private information and personal data. Domain privacy protection is offered to protect your personal data in the Whois records from unauthorized people. It ensures that your personal information is hidden from public view to keep it private and protected on the Whois system. Instead of your personal private information being displayed Simple Tech’s contact information is used to mask your private information. ICANN can reach out to us specifically for validation purposes, but hackers and other malicious parties can not gain access to it.
Why is Domain Privacy Protection so important?
Protect your personal information:
Domain privacy protection helps to ensure that your address, phone numbers, email addresses, and other data are not available through the Whois system. This will make it harder for hackers to gather this information and use it in illegal or malicious ways. If you don’t use a company like Simple Tech to act as the gatekeeper for your information to ensure only the legitimate authorities have access to it then it becomes publicly available on the internet.
Don’t give easy access to the sale of your personal information:
Without domain privacy protection, you are in danger of having someone gather all of your private information and sell it. Companies create ‘data scraping’ programs to automatically harvest your personal data from publicly available sources like Whois to sell it to marketers and other organizations that will send you a steady stream of aggressive and unwanted emails and phone calls.
Reduction of scam and spam calls and emails:
By protecting your phone number and email information, you will be less susceptible to attacks like email phishing in which a hacker poses as a legitimate company or even yourself to get your employees to open fake emails that could compromise your data. It will also help to prevent unwanted solicitation calls and emails. Every spammer out there knows how to find personal data on public directories, and email is the most accessible channel to target small business owners.
Reduce what your competitors can find:
Your domain name registration can be used by your competitors to help them gain insight into your business and the way you operate. Your personal information can be used against you by brands looking to counter your unique advantages and capture your market share. Small business owners, who work with limited resources, can be devastated by an information leak to competitors. These leaks can prove to be very expensive, especially if you’re offering something unique to the marketplace.
Reduce unwanted traffic and bandwidth to your site:
While some companies like any type of website visitors, letting others gain access to your company’s private data can attract stalkers and hackers. These individuals have no business on your website and are only there for malicious purposes.