Understanding Domain Privacy (WHOIS Protection / WhoisGuard)

When you register a domain name, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) and ccTLD registries like NIRA (for .ng domains) require that your personal contact information (name, address, email, phone number) be submitted and made publicly available through the WHOIS database. This public database allows anyone to look up who owns a particular domain.

While this transparency has its purposes, it can also expose your personal information to spammers, marketers, data miners, and potentially malicious actors.

What is Domain Privacy / WHOIS Protection?

Domain Privacy (often called WHOIS Protection, WHOIS Guard, or Privacy Protection) is an optional service offered by domain registrars like NG Domain to protect your personal information.

How it Works:

• When you enable Domain Privacy for your domain, the registrar replaces your actual contact details in the public WHOIS database with generic contact information provided by the privacy service.
• Your legal ownership of the domain remains unchanged. You are still the rightful owner.
• Communications intended for you (e.g., legal notices, legitimate inquiries) sent to the privacy service's contact details are typically filtered and forwarded to your actual email address.

Benefits of Using Domain Privacy:

1. Protection from Spam and Unsolicited Calls:

   • Reduces the amount of spam email and telemarketing calls you receive by hiding your direct contact information.

2. Prevention of Identity Theft:

   • Limits the public availability of personal data that could be misused by identity thieves.

3. Reduced Risk of Harassment or Stalking:

   • Protects individuals from unwanted attention or contact.

4. Control Over Your Information:

   • Gives you more control over who can see your personal contact details associated with your domain.

5. Minimized Data Mining:

   • Makes it harder for data brokers to harvest your information for marketing lists.

Availability and Considerations:

• TLD Restrictions: Domain Privacy is not available for all TLDs. Some ccTLD registries (country-specific domains) have policies that either require public WHOIS information or have their own methods of data redaction. For .ng domains, NIRA's policies apply, and the availability/nature of privacy services may differ from gTLDs like .com.
• NG Domain Offering: Check with NG Domain if WHOIS Privacy is offered for your specific domain extension. This is often an add-on service you can select during domain registration or enable later through your domain management panel.
• Legitimate Contact: Reputable privacy services have mechanisms to forward legitimate communications (e.g., from law enforcement or in case of domain disputes) to the actual domain owner.
• Cost: Domain Privacy is usually an annual add-on service with a small fee.

How to Enable Domain Privacy with NG Domain:

• During Registration: You'll often see an option to add WHOIS Privacy/Domain Privacy to your cart when registering a new domain.
• For Existing Domains: Log in to your NG Domain client area, navigate to your domain management section, and look for an option to add or enable privacy protection for your eligible domains.

Using Domain Privacy is a recommended practice for most domain owners who wish to enhance their online privacy and reduce unwanted solicitations.