Between January 2017 and March 2018, nearly 1.9 billion records containing personal information were compromised. External hackers and data attackers are responsible for 75% of data breaches. Furthermore, the average cost of a single data breach can reach $3.62 million.
If you’re a website owner who’s still wondering, “Do I need domain privacy?” you’ll need to make some serious changes.
Given the potential consequences of data breaches, you should take domain privacy protection seriously and learn how to protect a domain name. Continue reading!
Domain Privacy, What Is It?
Private domain registration is a ‘add-on’ service that you purchase to protect and conceal your data from the rest of the world. If the information on your website is visible to anyone on the internet, it is obvious that your business could be jeopardized if that information falls into the wrong hands.
Privacy protection is required to rid your digital platform of such risks. It can also provide good protection for the entire IoT platform, assisting in the safekeeping of all data, as the protection of the entire network of users is an important and integral part of the platform.
Is It Possible for Everyone to See My Information?
Everyone can see your information if your website domain is not privacy protected. When you register a domain on the internet, it becomes a part of the global directory known as WHOIS, which makes all of your domain’s registered information available to the public.
Your information would not be visible to everyone if you had included privacy protection when creating the website domain. However, if your privacy is not protected, your information is only a few clicks away from being exposed to the rest of the world.
What’s in the WHOIS Directory?
The public WHOIS database is an online directory that keeps track of all domain registrations. This includes domain registrant information, verifications, expiry and renewal dates, and other information.
It’s very similar to registering an asset with a governing authority or register. Consider your car or home; you would have registered it with a governing authority that records ownership, start date, and duration.
What would happen, however, if this information became available to the rest of the world? This can be a major issue for the average user.
The main advantages of privacy protection are that it gives you privacy and protects your data. However, by purchasing the service, you will receive numerous benefits such as a lock icon on web links, complete encryption on data transfers, elimination of spam calls and emails, and much more.
If you do not have privacy protection on your domain, the WHOIS lookup feature can be used to determine who owns any domain on the internet.
What is a WHOIS Lookup?
As previously discussed, WHOIS is a public directory that contains all of the records and personal information for all registered domains. Because it is a public directory, everyone in the globe can see and view it.
The WHOIS Lookup feature in the WHOIS directory reveals who owns and controls the domain name, including their names, contact information, address, and so on, that they initially provided when registering for the domain.
Although the WHOIS lookup feature is a convenient way to obtain essential information in the Public WHOIS database, it may also be used against you or hurt you if your personal information is just a “lookup away” from absolutely everyone on the planet.
For example, we search the domain registrant details for ‘apple.com’ in the following screenshot.
Below, we can see who the domain registrar is, when the registration expires, and when it was last updated.
Scrolling down, we can see the registrant’s name, the city in which they live, and even their phone number and email address.
It’s not a big problem for a giant corporation like Apple to make this information public. However, if you own a small business, you must be cautious about the information available about your company, where it is available, and why. That is why you must conceal your website’s domain information from the general public.
You must register for private domain registration if you do not want this information to become publicly known.
How Does Protection Privacy Work?
Your personal information is recorded in WHOIS when you register a domain name. If you do not purchase domain privacy protection, you are exposing your personal information on the WHOIS directory, where anyone can access your contact information (assuming you are the domain registrant).
When you purchase the privacy protection service, you will receive numerous benefits, including total web security, privacy in the WHOIS directory, and more.
How Much Does Domain Privacy Protection Protect Site Owners?
An unprotected and public domain exposes all of the domain’s information to the public, including the registrar’s personal and sensitive information. Many people may not be concerned that their very sensitive information is available to the public, but this is because they have not yet encountered the risks.
To begin with, anyone with access to the internet can send you spam and indecent messages and emails, which no one would like. Second, your home address is available to all, which means that anyone can practically stroll outside your door and contact you. Third, the expiration and renewal dates of your domain are also visible to the public on an unprotected site, which your competitors and new entrants could utilize to grab your domain.
How Much Does WHOIS Protection Cost?
When you register a new domain name with your domain registrar (or hosting provider), you can acquire domain privacy protection. They normally charge between $2 and $20 per year for it as an additional feature. When you consider the degree of the risk it reduces, that’s an acceptable price to pay!
But, do you truly require domain privacy protection? Let’s take a look at why getting it makes sense.
What Are the Advantages of Domain Privacy?
You and others may be wondering if domain privacy is worthwhile. What will I receive? Why should I purchase it?
To begin with, if you don’t want your personal information, such as your address and phone number, to be visible to the public, that should be reason enough to get domain privacy protection.
When information about your company is available online, it is always susceptible. If it enters into the wrong hands, it might cause problems for you, such as domain hacking.
If you do not conceal your personal data using domain privacy protection, a variety of things can go wrong. That is why you need be aware of what can happen in order to appreciate the true benefit of domain privacy protection.
1. Anyone has access to your personal information.
Domain hacking can be accomplished in a variety of methods, the most common of which is unauthorized access. Hackers take over the domain to see how vulnerable the domain registrar’s system is. Another method of stealing the domain name is by social engineering; it can also be hacked by first breaking into the domain owner’s email account, which is linked to the domain registration.
Because of these dangers, it is necessary to provide a layer of domain protection privacy. It incorporates numerous safety and security measures to safeguard your company’s private and confidential information and data. Without these layers, your data, such as confidential client information, can be taken by, say, competitors.
This is a huge risk, especially if you’re in the middle of conceiving a new concept, creating a website for a project you want to keep under wraps, or simply don’t want people to know who you are!
By not purchasing, you expose yourself to identity theft and risk having your personal information compromised. Worse, if your website is hacked, your clients’ data is also compromised, and you risk losing the trust you’ve created with them in an instant. Such a situation can easily devastate a tiny corporation.
2. You may receive unsolicited sales calls and possibly be defrauded.
Now that your personal information is public, there’s nothing stopping pushy marketers from obtaining it and attempting to contact you. You may receive numerous calls from people attempting to sell you something.
Furthermore, you run the danger of being duped. If these salespeople have access to your information, they may attempt to dupe you into purchasing items you do not require.
3. Your website and other online assets may be compromised.
It took time to create your website. It’s almost like constructing a house. And if it isn’t adequately protected, there’s a chance it will be the victim of a fraudulent domain transfer. That implies someone else could gain access to your domain management panel and transfer your website to their name without your knowledge.
If you keep your house locked to protect yourself and your family, it stands to reason that you should protect your domain from strangers on the internet, aka hackers. It’s like leaving your door open for outsiders to come in and see who’s inside. Domain privacy protection protects you from such threats by hiding sensitive information.
4. Your personal data can be sold.
What’s more problematic is when other organizations use a technique known as ‘data scraping’ to obtain personal information from publicly available sources such as WHOIS and sell it to third parties.
Perhaps the most recent and pertinent example is the claims that Facebook sold personal information to advertising.
Clearly, this is not a little matter that should be neglected, and you should always be concerned about your cyber security. When you purchase privacy protection for your website domain, you will also receive WHOIS privacy, which means that your data will be hidden from public view. Cybersecurity consulting works with businesses to prevent data, software, and hardware from being hacked, stolen, or damaged.
5. Ton of Spam Emails
You can get more than simply sales calls. You also expose yourself to a slew of spam emails by leaving your personal information exposed. Every spammer understands how to get personal information on public directories, and email is the most convenient avenue for targeting small business owners.
Are you already getting a lot of spam that you didn’t sign up for? Examine your spam mailbox and keep track of how many emails you get and from whom. If you’re getting spam emails, it’s because your information is out there for spammers to utilize. These facts can become “only for your eyes” if you use WHOIS protection.
6. Your competitor will get many information about you
If your personal information is easily accessible, your competitors will find it easier to stalk you. They will be aware of who you are, where you are, and how to contact you.
When you’re a small business owner with few resources, any knowledge you leak to competitors may be highly costly, especially if you’re delivering something unique to the market. So, hedge your bets, don’t show all your cards, and use domain privacy protection to keep competition at bay.
7. You cannot register a domain unless you provide accurate information.
You’re probably thinking if there’s a way to avoid registering a domain using fictitious information. Why should you offer your information to your domain registrar and be listed on WHOIS in the first place?
In truth, you can only register a domain with genuine information. All of the information you supply has been verified. Again, this is fairly similar to registering any asset with the appropriate authorities. Furthermore, as a small business owner, you must be authentic from the outset in order to get the respect and trust of your audience. You cannot afford to appear phony in front of your audience.
List of Privacy Protection Features for Websites
If you register your website for domain protection, you will receive valuable features that will assist you in keeping your website secure and safe from illegal access. These elements are required for a website domain to function properly and without risk.
1. Protection of Domain Registration
As previously said, registering a domain name allows the public to examine your personal information. You may view the details for any domain by conducting a simple WHOIS domain name search. This could be utilized for bad things.
The key component of privacy protection, however, is domain protection following private domain registration. Instead of making your personal contact information, such as first and surname name, phone number, and address, public, it becomes confidential and private.
2. Regular Backups
Regular backups are an important aspect of privacy protection that should not be overlooked. A strong backup is critical in today’s environment. It is a dependable approach for keeping your website’s data and information secure, which is crucial because nothing is ever completely secure.
There are numerous methods for backing up and safeguarding files, whether you are constructing your site from scratch or using administration tools such as WordPress. The best part is that many of these services are free.
3. SSL Certificate
SSL stands for “Secure Sockets Layer,” and it ensures security when your website is accessible via the internet. When browsing a website, most browsers display a lock just before the web address bar, indicating that the link you have visited is SSL encrypted.
It is preferable to use SSL-protected links when transmitting sensitive information. If you do not do this, it is conceivable that individuals will take the information and use it for illegal purposes. A website owner should obtain an SSL certificate for website security because it secures data between the server and the user. SSL certificates are available for purchase through resellers or directly from certificate authority.
4. Newest Software
Although it is usual practice to ensure that software is up to date, it is crucial to note that software updates should not be disregarded at any cost. Not all web scripts are designed for automated updates; even the most popular ones, such as WordPress, require upgrades on a regular basis.
Using the most recent version of the site platform is critical to the website’s security. It is preferable to make updates automated so that you do not miss them by accident.
A privacy protection add-on would come with automatic updates, but here’s a fast tip: make sure all other add-ons and plugins are set to auto-update as well.
How Do I Get Domain Privacy Protection?
Check with your domain registrar or hosting provider’s customer service to see if you already have domain privacy protection. Many small businesses don’t even realize whether they have it because they are usually rushing through the domain registration process; therefore, if you’re reading this, make sure to check it out!
If you don’t currently have domain privacy protection, here are several options:
- Purchase domain ownership protection when registering a new domain name and gain access to WHOIS domain privacy. This is an excellent moment to do it; you may as well start now.
- Increase the privacy of an existing domain name. If you recently checked your domain privacy and discovered it is not secured, you can add it at any moment. To acquire it, contact your domain registrar or hosting provider right away.
Getting domain privacy protection is simple, cheap, and may save you a lot of time.
If you are confused about where you can get an domain privacy, HostForLIFE.eu also provides this service. For more information, you can just visit our site directly via https://www.hostforlife.eu.
