WPX provides free Domain Privacy with supported domain types (not all domain types support it). Purchasing a domain from us automatically grants you free WHOIS Privacy for life, but what exactly is WHOIS Privacy and is it that important?
What is WHOIS?
Anyone who owns a website, whether a business owner, organization, government official, or everyday citizen, must provide accurate identification and contact information when registering their domain.
WHOIS is a query and response protocol that provides information on domain names and IP address blocks from a database. It asks, ‘Who Is’ responsible for this IP address or domain? The query may include information such as domain ownership, the date and time of registration, expiration dates, and the nameservers assigned to the domain.
The WHOIS protocol stores and delivers database content in a human-readable format.
How does it affect me?
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) currently requires the e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and even mailing addresses of all owners and administrators of domains to be publicly available.
If you own a website, then that means your personal information is being demanded to be made public on WHOIS directories. Any of this personal information will be available to anyone who queries a WHOIS server; this policy grants access even to identity thieves, spammers, and any other attackers.
In other words, WHOIS Privacy replaces your contact details in the public WHOIS database with anonymous, proxy information provided by your registrar. This means:
- Your real name, email, and phone number remain hidden.
- Any queries for your domain’s details are redirected to a secure forwarding service.
- You stay reachable for legitimate domain-related inquiries without exposing your personal information.
Example: Public WHOIS vs. Protected WHOIS
| Information Type | Without WHOIS Privacy | With WHOIS Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Name | John Doe | Privacy Service |
| johndoe@example.com | privacy@domainproxy.com | |
| Phone Number | +1-555-123-4567 | Private Registrar Contact |
| Address | 123 Main St, City, Country | Confidential |
Free WHOIS Privacy for Life
Some hosting providers, who own a lot of customers’ personal information, require little persuasion to release this private information and can earn money from doing this. They also charge extra for WHOIS Privacy, but here at WPX, we provide it for free with supported domains—no extra fees, no hidden costs.
What can I do to protect myself?
There are domain privacy services available from domain name registrars and web hosting platforms. When a user buys a privacy service, their service provider replaces the customer’s personal information in the WHOIS server with info to a forwarding service. This essentially redirects queries for your info elsewhere.
At WPX, we’re proud to provide a variety of free service features, including free WHOIS Protection. Although we don’t often spotlight this feature, rising concerns about online privacy—and reports of some hosting providers selling customer data—have motivated us to reassure you, current and future WPX customers, that your personal information is fully protected with us.
Have more questions? Contact the WPX Support Team through the live chat widget in the bottom-right corner, and they’ll assist you promptly, typically within 30 seconds.