What we check
We check if your domain registration details are publicly exposed
We check if your domain registration details are publicly exposed in WHOIS databases. WHOIS privacy (also called domain privacy or WHOIS protection) replaces your personal information with proxy contact details, keeping your name, address, phone number, and email private.
Security Impact
Why WHOIS privacy is important
Personal information is publicly searchable
Without WHOIS privacy, your full name, home address, phone number, and email are searchable by anyone. This information is indexed by search engines and sold by data brokers.
Spam and harassment
Exposed WHOIS data leads to spam calls, junk mail, and marketing emails. Scammers harvest this data for phishing and social engineering attacks.
Identity theft risk
Public WHOIS data provides attackers with personal information useful for identity theft, social engineering, and targeted attacks.
Doxxing and stalking
Publicly available contact information can be used for doxxing, stalking, or harassment. This is especially dangerous for high-profile individuals or controversial websites.
Implementation
How to enable WHOIS privacy
With Httpeace
Httpeace automatically checks if your WHOIS data is publicly exposed:
- Add your domain to Httpeace
- We check WHOIS records daily for privacy status
- Get instant alerts if personal information becomes publicly exposed
- See instructions for enabling privacy at your specific registrar
Without Httpeace
Manual WHOIS privacy management requires checking each domain across multiple registrars:
# Check WHOIS privacy status whois yourdomain.com | grep -i "registrant" # Look for privacy service indicators whois yourdomain.com | grep -i "privacy|proxy|redacted" # Check if personal info is exposed whois yourdomain.com | grep -E "(Name|Email|Phone|Address)" # Use online WHOIS lookups # Visit: https://www.whois.com/whois/yourdomain.com # Visit: https://lookup.icann.org/
You'll need to:
- Check WHOIS records manually for every domain you own
- Log in to each domain registrar separately (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.)
- Find privacy protection settings (different location in each registrar)
- Enable "WHOIS Privacy", "Domain Privacy", or "Private Registration"
- Pay additional fees at registrars that charge for privacy ($5-15/year)
- Wait 24-48 hours for WHOIS updates to propagate
- Re-check WHOIS to verify privacy is actually enabled
- Monitor quarterly to ensure privacy hasn't been accidentally disabled
- Re-enable privacy after domain transfers (often gets disabled)
- Handle domains where WHOIS privacy isn't available (.uk, .au, etc.)
- Remember to enable privacy on newly registered domains
- Check privacy status after domain renewals (can get disabled)
- Maintain list of which registrars charge for privacy vs. include it free
- Set up alerts if personal info becomes publicly searchable
- Deal with data broker sites that have cached old public WHOIS data
WHOIS privacy management is tedious when you have multiple domains across different registrars. Privacy can be accidentally disabled during transfers, renewals, or registrar changes, exposing your personal information.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What information does WHOIS expose?
Public WHOIS records typically expose the registrant's full name, physical address, phone number, and email address. They also show technical and administrative contacts, domain registration and expiration dates, and name server information.
Does WHOIS privacy affect domain ownership?
No, WHOIS privacy doesn't change ownership. You still own the domain. Privacy services act as a proxy, forwarding legitimate emails to you while hiding your personal details from public WHOIS lookups.
Are there any downsides to WHOIS privacy?
Very few. In rare cases, some organizations conducting due diligence may request verification that you own the domain. Some country-code TLDs (.uk, .au, etc.) don't support WHOIS privacy. Otherwise, privacy protection has no negative effects.
How often does Httpeace check WHOIS privacy?
We check WHOIS records daily to verify privacy protection is enabled. We alert you if your personal information becomes publicly exposed, allowing you to quickly re-enable privacy protection.
Can law enforcement still access my information?
Yes. WHOIS privacy protects against public exposure but doesn't hide information from law enforcement or legal requests. Registrars maintain your real information and provide it when legally required.
Related checks
Other checks in this category
Peace of mind for your domains.
Start monitoring today and prevent outages, hacks, and costly mistakes.