Namecheap, the domain name registrar, has decided to bring about some radical changes and has announced some important news.
As a company that values privacy and security, Namecheap has decided to provide free privacy protection for every domain registered.
About Withheld for Privacy
After much deliberation, Namecheap has decided to switch their domain privacy-providing service. They have decided to opt for Withheld for Privacy ahead of WhoisGuard.
First of all, your domains will be safe! You do not need to take any action, and all the domains under WhoisGuard will switch to Withheld from Privacy on March 17th, 2021.
Namecheap believes that this provider offers the best domain privacy protection. In the sections below, we’ll take a look at your domains’ privacy and how Namecheap’s switch affects you.
Why is domain privacy important?
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the organization that keeps the web secure. They have one rule to help them; domain registrants need to give updated information for every registered domain. The information is then displayed in the public whois database. Through this, any copyright or ownership issues can be traced and found.
The only caveat is that this becomes a big privacy issue as the information is accessible to everyone. Fraud, spam, and marketing are common issues due to this.
Through a domain privacy service, your contact information can be withheld. The actual information gets replaced with randomly generated junk. If any messages make their way to the random junk email, they are filtered by the service and sent to your email.
Privacy protection laws are evolving
As the world’s concerns for privacy increase, many safeguards are being put into place. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation helps keep user and domain information private as it cannot be shared without their consent. While this is in direct dispute with the ICANN’s requirements, a workaround is being assembled.
What you need to know is that not every registrar offers domain privacy. Some charge for the service, and even if you are protected by the GDPR, your information might still be shared with other registries.
If the customer wants to see how their data is handled, the service provider must review each registry and privacy policy.
Why did Namecheap choose Withheld for Privacy?
After looking through all the available options, Namecheap has concluded that Withheld for Privacy, an Iceland-based service provider, is the best option. Iceland is known for its privacy laws, and the company believes in Namecheap’s core values. They believe that privacy and personal data are basic human rights. Withheld for Privacy also does not need your data to protect it, meaning that it stays with Namecheap.
How this affects you
Namecheap will switch domain privacy providers on March 17th, 2021. Your domain, however, will remain unaffected by this change, and will be:
- Protected from all forms of identity theft and fraudsters. Your private information will be hidden from the Whois database.
- Free for life each time you get a new registration or transfer. This particular service remains free as long as you are a Namecheap customer.
- Clutter-free. No spam, no unwanted emails.
Your domain will continue to have the same functionality and you will get a new email address that gets changed regularly. Note that domain privacy is not available for certain domain names. There are registry restrictions. It cannot be given to .com.au, .com.es, ca, .ch, .cn, .co.in, .co.uk, .com.sg, .de, .id, .in, .is, .law, .es, .eu, .fr, .gg, .li, .me.uk, .net.au, .nyc, .org.es .nl, .nom.es, .nu, .org.au, .to, .uk, .us, .org.uk, .paris, .sg, .vote, .xn--3ds443g, and .voto, domains.
The differences:
- You won’t see WhoisGuard’. Instead, you will see ‘Domain Privacy.’
- Your private information will be rotated automatically, which means you are not required to take any action.
Withheld for Privacy does not require any personal data and hence your information stays safe with Namecheap.
Final thoughts
Namecheap’s move to a new service provider is in line with its ideology that privacy is important for everyone and should be taken seriously.
