Domain Name Privacy Protection

1. How do I enable domain privacy protection?

2. Table of Contents • Introduction • What is domain name privacy? • Why is domain privacy protection necessary? • Pros and Cons of Domain Privacy protection • How to Enable Domain Name Privacy for Your Website? • Conclusion

3. Introduction • A data breach can have a broad range of consequences, ranging from minor to highly costly. • You may already have multi-factor authentication enabled on all of your devices, use strong passwords, and avoid visiting questionable websites. • If you’ve ever registered a domain name, you may not be as safe as you think. • As a website owner, you must provide contact information such as phone number, email address, and mailing address when registering a domain name. • This information is private by default and can have disastrous repercussions when shared with unscrupulous individuals on the Internet.

4. Domain Name Privacy • Domain name privacy, commonly known as WHOIS privacy, is a service offered by domain registrars that keeps your personal contact information from being publicly shown in the WHOIS directory. • The WHOIS directory is a public database of all website domain names that includes contact information for each domain owner and is accessible to anybody. • The WHOIS directory is maintained by ICANN (International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the organization in charge of creating top level domains (TLDs) • According to ICANN, each domain must have the following information associated with it: • Email • Phone Number • Mailing Address

5. Why is domain privacy protection necessary? • If you have recently purchased a new domain name and are eager to begin developing your brand on the web, you may be wondering if domain privacy is required. • Anyone who owns a website, whether for an organization, a business, or a hobby, is obliged by ICANN to give proper and complete contact information for their domain. This information must be made public by default. • Anyone may obtain publicly available WHOIS information by inputting registered domain names into any free WHOIS search engine. • As a result, if your personal information isn’t protected, they will have access to it.

6. Pros and Cons of Domain Name Privacy Pros: • Because the domain registrar will modify any identifying features, you should keep your personal contact information safe. • You will avoid spam and attempted fraud. • You can decrease the chances of your site being hacked or completely hijacked. Cons: • In addition to the regular domain hosting fees, you may be charged a fee for this service. • You run the risk of instilling a false sense of security. Your security is still not guaranteed, because unscrupulous companies may sell your sensitive information. • Your ownership of a domain name is less legitimate. The entity whose information is published in the WHOIS database for a domain is the legal owner of that domain.

7. How to Enable Domain Name Privacy for Your Website? • To enable or purchase domain privacy protection from HTS hosting, please follow the instructions below: • Navigate to the HTS Hosting homepage. • Click on the “Account” option in the upper right-hand corner. • Log in to your account using the registered username and password if you have already registered, otherwise click the “Register” button and enter all of your information, including your phone number and e-mail address. • Now, in the upper left-hand corner, click the “Domain option.” • You have two options here: Register a new domain or Transfer an existing domain to HTS • If you wish to buy new domain, select “Register Your Domain” • In the search box, type in the domain you wish to use.  Then, to continue, click the Search button. • If the domain you typed is accessible, you will be notified. If it isn't available, you'll have to try again under a new name. • Furthermore, click the "Add to Cart" button to add your selected domain to the cart, and then click the "Continue to Cart" button to move on to the next step. • In the next step, you will be asked to add “ID protection” to your cart list, which will secure your personal information and limit the amount of spam in your mailbox. • Make the payment for your domain and ID protection by adding it to your cart and you are good to go to start your online journey.

8. Conclusion • Although the WHOIS public directory serves an important purpose, it is regularly misused for fraudulent and identify theft purpose. • So, even if you are rigorously safeguarding your personal information elsewhere, having it available in the directory may undercut those efforts. • Investing in domain name privacy is a prudent way to protect both you and your website’s users. • So, if you're looking for a quick and easy way to register your next domain? Try HTS Hosting for hundreds of one-of-a-kind TLDs. • You can do so at www.htshosting.org/domains.

9. Thanks! www.htshosting.org