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Save Domain Privacy

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wraith808:
I didn't even know about this until today when Hover e-mailed me.

https://www.savedomainprivacy.org/

What is WHOIS and how does it impact me?

How do you feel about your personal contact information being available on the Internet? If you have ever registered a domain name to create a blog or launch a business, your personal information (including name, telephone number, email, and postal address) is already published in a database called “WHOIS”.

WHOIS is an old system, dating back to the dawn of the Internet, to allow systems administrators from universities and government offices to contact each other.  Now that nearly everyone is online, WHOIS contains contact information for small businesses, churches, individuals, even minor children.  Anyone – law enforcement, businesses, individuals, even spammers– has free access to the data in WHOIS. With so much sensitive information publicly available, governments, civic groups, and privacy advocates are starting to tackle WHOIS, who has access, how they use the data, and what it all means for online privacy.

While they wrestle with these issues of privacy, there are steps you can take right now to protect your personal information online.  Privacy Services (sometimes called “Proxy Services”) post their own contact information in WHOIS in place of yours.

A recent study indicates that up to 20% of domains on the Internet trust these services to guard their information.

What is ICANN?

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the international governing body for the Domain Name System (DNS), and creates the rules for domain names that can be used to create new websites.  They also manage the information collected in the WHOIS database.

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https://www.savedomainprivacy.org/sign-the-petition/

What’s Changing?

Everything!

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is working on a program that would create new restrictions on the companies offering WHOIS privacy services, or “Providers.”  Under the proposed new rules, Providers would be required to monitor your use of domain names and websites.  Providers could be forced to terminate your privacy service and be required to publish your contact data in WHOIS.  Likewise, Providers could be required to give your private contact details to anyone complaining that your website violates their trademark or copyright.  None of these scenarios would require a court order, search warrant, or due process of any kind.
It’s important to emphasize that Providers do not want criminals to abuse these services to hide their online activities from law enforcement. But some of the proposed changes would treat all users equally, regardless of their intent. For millions of legitimate users, these services are no more suspicious than getting an unlisted telephone number.

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The site has some very useful and enlightening information.  And this is one of those petitions that I think that anyone should be able to get behind.  I didn't know how draconian they were until once I moved and wasn't using privacy, and they terminated my domains with no notification nor due process because it wasn't the same.  Now, with the crazies coming out and pursuing people for things they post, privacy is more of an issue than ever before, and this was one of the reasons I switched to Hover as they provide this service for free.

It's one of the few times that I immediately signed a petition after reading the information on the site.  Especially because this has not been advertised everywhere like net neutrality and such.

Take Action!

MilesAhead:
I noticed this change too when I just registered a new domain.  I didn't shell out the extra bucks for the fake WHOIS info this time around.  Not only that but if you registered a company and you are the registered manager such as for an LLC, the stuff is coming up in web search anyway.  Anyone knows the name of the LLC then very likely the search engine is going to spit out your street address and phone number.

Yet another reason I stopped shelling out for company names just so I could shell out more to file annual reports.  I suppose if you have a company making real money you have to.  But people don't even have to go to the government web site to search out the LLC manager's contact info.  It just comes up.

Time to move to a gated community or dig a moat around the house.  :)

wraith808:
I noticed this change too when I just registered a new domain.  I didn't shell out the extra bucks for the fake WHOIS info this time around.  Not only that but if you registered a company and you are the registered manager such as for an LLC, the stuff is coming up in web search anyway.  Anyone knows the name of the LLC then very likely the search engine is going to spit out your street address and phone number.

Yet another reason I stopped shelling out for company names just so I could shell out more to file annual reports.  I suppose if you have a company making real money you have to.  But people don't even have to go to the government web site to search out the LLC manager's contact info.  It just comes up.

Time to move to a gated community or dig a moat around the house.  :)

-MilesAhead (June 30, 2015, 10:15 AM)
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No, not if it's done correctly.

In the WHOIS and web searches, my address does not come up, and neither does my name.  The privacy concern is the one that comes up.  The only way it is even associated is if you did not do so at the time of registration it hit the internet, so is saved if you know how to look for it, or if you, as you said, registered as a company, which is not my concern.


It works for my use.

MilesAhead:
In the WHOIS and web searches, my address does not come up, and neither does my name.  The privacy concern is the one that comes up.  The only way it is even associated is if you did not do so at the time of registration it hit the internet, so is saved if you know how to look for it, or if you, as you said, registered as a company, which is not my concern.
-wraith808 (June 30, 2015, 11:09 AM)
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I understand. But I suggest searching with the regular search engines if there are any company identifiers on your site.  I guess the guys at ICCAN may be too lazy to use more than a whois search.  But once the state and name of your LLC are out there it is a matter of public record if anyone wants to take the time to look for it, the contact info of the manager/agent.  For a few dollars it may be worth it I suppose.

wraith808:
In the WHOIS and web searches, my address does not come up, and neither does my name.  The privacy concern is the one that comes up.  The only way it is even associated is if you did not do so at the time of registration it hit the internet, so is saved if you know how to look for it, or if you, as you said, registered as a company, which is not my concern.
-wraith808 (June 30, 2015, 11:09 AM)
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I understand. But I suggest searching with the regular search engines if there are any company identifiers on your site.  I guess the guys at ICCAN may be too lazy to use more than a whois search.  But once the state and name of your LLC are out there it is a matter of public record if anyone wants to take the time to look for it, the contact info of the manager/agent.  For a few dollars it may be worth it I suppose.

-MilesAhead (June 30, 2015, 11:53 AM)
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There are not company identifiers.  It's not a company.  It's just personal sites that I've registered.

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