# Whoisguard, good or bad?



## Maxcat (Nov 23, 2014)

I just registered my first domain and added on the Whoisguard for like $3. I hate solicitors and want to minimize spam so it seemed like a good idea. Any downsides to keeping registration information private?


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

I don't bother with it at all and haven't had any issues with spammers.

One big thing to realize is if you have a private domain, customers who look it up will trust you much much less.

I prefer having my information available so customers who care about that stuff can see I'm not hiding.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

I use it. But a lot of my designs are on sensitive subjects, so trying to make the suicide bombers work a little harder.

If you have a DBA or corp, they can probably look you up that way, too--depending on the public records laws where you are.


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## Maxcat (Nov 23, 2014)

Thanks, it seemed like it was a good idea to stay private since I used personal information including home address registering the domain. My corporation is an entirely different entity with nothing to tie the 2 together. I have several professional licenses in the public domain that I have no option to shield so I take the opportunity to limit personal information when possible.

I'm not overly concerned with building credibility since I've never once found the need to check any businesses out whois.


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## tragicflaw (Jan 27, 2011)

The only thing that I have read that could be an issue is that whoever's name is on Whois has the actual rights to the domain. So if you pay a company to keep you private and they put their name on there as a barrier, they technically own your domain and you have to trust them not to just do whatever they want with it down the road.

Here is the info from this link https://www.easydns.com/10-things-to-know-before-you-register/

Because your domain record is public for all to see, some registrars want to upsell you to “privacy services” or “whois masking”, “private registration”, where they put their own info in the whois record instead of yours.
The important thing to know here is that in the eyes of the domain Registry to which all the Registrars interact, and the Registry’s oversight body (like ICANN, or in Canada, CIRA), whoever is listed in the domain whois record as the domain Registrant is the legal owner of the domain name. Keep that in mind, if you use a service like this, they own the domain, not you, notwithstanding whatever contract or Terms of Service you enter into with them to “own” this name on your behalf. If it lands in a dispute proceeding it will be an open and shut case: they own the name.
Taking it one step further, some “privacy” services will get you to sign up for the whois privacy service and then they turn around and happily offer to sell your true data to anybody else who cares to pay for it.


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## headfirst (Jun 29, 2011)

Why hide? You want to put yourself out there. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to reach you.


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## golinux (Mar 30, 2013)

The spam is not a problem. You simply could use another dedicated mail.
Whoisguard give a privacy just for other private people, not for government office, police,FBI, etc.
If you want a better privacy, you have to pay about 40$ and buy a domain in a foreign juridicions like japan from www.anonymousspeech.com (I didn't have test it)
The problem of own the domain is inversed proportional to privacy level.
If you want don't lost the domain you must give you personal data,
if you want be anonymous, you have to give false data, pay with bitcoin, use tor, or give a
.tk domain or a third level domain.
The legal problem about owning the domain from whoisguard is a false problem.
Whoisguard company don't loose own reputation (and money) just to steal your domain,
except you make a website like facebook, and got big money, but in every case they could steal the domain and not the website (code, database, users registration, etc.), so it is not convenient.


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## Maxcat (Nov 23, 2014)

After doing some research I did not find anything to indicate whoisguard can or does take ownership of your domain. Everything I read confirmed what I had thought going in they act as a sort of registered agent/gatekeeper.

As always, thanks for the replies.


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