Domains By Proxy FAQ
What is the difference between public and private domain name registration?
Per our registrar agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the contact and registrant information listed for your domain name must be made public. Using false information is a violation and can lead to the termination of your domain name registration.
We understand most people do not want their personal contact information (name, address, email address, and phone number) made public in the Whois database. That’s why we have offered Private Registration services through an affiliate company, Domains By Proxy® (DBP), since 2002.
When you purchase DBP Private Registration services, the Whois database lists DBP's name, mailing address, and phone number instead of your personal contact information.
DBP also creates a private unique email address for your domain name — you decide to have any arriving email forwarded, filtered for spam, or not forwarded at all.
Although DBP is listed as the registrant of your domain name on the Whois database, you retain FULL CONTROL over your domain name. You can:- Cancel, sell, or renew your domain name
- Control the content for your website
- Set the nameservers for your domain name
- Update your underlying domain name contact information
- Resolve any and all disputes involving your domain name
- Protect your identity
- Stop domain name-related spam
- Thwart harassers and stalkers
- End data mining
- Maintain personal and family privacy
- Prevent your domain from being hijacked
- Shield legitimate entrepreneurial business endeavors
- Voice political and other First Amendment speech
DBP does not allow you to use its private domain name services for spamming, violating the law, or engaging in morally objectionable activities. Violating these policies will result in service cancellation.
Why do I need a separate Domains By Proxy account?
A separate Domains By Proxy® (DBP) account ultimately adds another layer of protection to your domain name — and you!
Unlike many services we offer, DBP, a separate, affiliate company, provides our Private Registration service. By having a separate DBP account you thwart potential domain name hijackers — they need access to your DBP account and your account with us to cancel your Private Registration and steal your domain name. Most thieves don't take the time to hack two accounts, and they move on to another domain name.
You might think your domain name isn't valuable. Keep in mind domain name hijacking has increased exponentially over the years. Domain names are now stolen, not just for their value, but to facilitate all types of illicit scams worldwide, including spam and fraud, and to relay malware, destructive bots, and more.
Once you add privacy to a domain name, DBP sends you an email with your DBP account login information. Please retain this information for future reference.
Can I request a Premium Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate for a private domain?
Yes, you can request an Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate for a privately-registered domain name. We need to verify that you control the domain you intend to secure, and EV certificates have strict verification guidelines.
NOTE: Requests for EV certificates are verified according to industry standards. While a domain authorization letter validates domain registration for non-EV SSL requests, the letter is not sufficient to validate registration for an EV certificate request.
To verify that you control the domain, you must respond to emails sent to the Registrant or Administrative contacts listed in a Whois search for the domain name. Because private registration services block personal email addresses from displaying, many registrars let users forward email received by the proxy address. After you set up email forwarding, contact us to resend the email.
If you have private registration through Domains By Proxy®, see Setting Email Forwarding Preferences for Domain Names with Privacy to set up email forwarding in your account.
If you cannot configure email forwarding, or you are unable to verify using this method, you must submit a Verified Legal Opinion or a CPA letter indicating your exclusive right to use the domain name on the Internet. See What is a Verified Legal Opinion or CPA Document? for more information.
You might also need to perform a practical demonstration, such as modifying the domain's zone file or creating a Web page with a designated code.
How does Business Registration affect Private Registration?
Business Registration works in conjunction with Domains By Proxy® Private Registration (also known as privacy) to keep your personal information private while promoting your business.
Private Registration shields your personal contact information, which is separate from your Business Registration information. Business Registration contains only the information you want to make public, such as business hours, office phone numbers, and fax numbers.
If you want to have both types of registration, you must purchase them separately.
What can I do in my Domains By Proxy account?
With Private Registration, you retain full control over your domain name, while Domains By Proxy® (DBP), our affiliate company, protects your identity.
In your DBP account, you can:
- Update the underlying registrant, administrative, technical, and billing contact information for all domain names with Private Registration. For more information, see Updating Contact Information for Domain Names with Privacy.
- Update your DBP customer account information, including user name and password settings.
- Purchase domain authorization letters for SSL certificates, merchant accounts, and other business matters.
- Establish email forwarding preferences for email addresses associated with your domain names with Private Registration.
- Merge one or more DBP accounts.
- Search for domain names alphabetically or in bulk.
- Prove registration for domain names with DBP Private Registration, while still protecting your identity.
Why do expiring domain names have private Whois contact information?
Our system hides your contact information during your domain name's expiration period to protect you from harassment.
Prior to this change, domain investors could watch GoDaddy Auctions® for expiring domains of value. When they found domain names they wanted, they used the public Whois database to harass the current registrant into redeeming the domain and selling it directly to the investor. Many investors participated in this practice, and some even hire outsourced teams.
Now, our system updates expired domain names’ registrant, administrative, and technical contact information so potential buyers can’t contact the registrant during expiration.
Here's how the private contact information displays in the Whois database:
| Registrant | Admin & Technical |
|---|---|
c/o GoDaddy.com, LLC
|
GoDaddy Redemption Services
Support@GoDaddy.com
|
Things you should know:
- If the private contact information for Domains By Proxy® already displays for a domain name during expiration, we won't change it.
- If you want to transfer the domain name away from us during the auto-renew grace period, we will automatically revert the private contact information to your original registrant information when you request the authorization code.
- We can revert private Whois information back to your original registrant information at any time.
NOTE: At this time we, cannot make all expiring TLDs private. We are working to provide this service for all TLDs in the future.
Why does Domains By Proxy need to process my Domain Authorization Letter?
When you purchase Private Registration for your domain name, the contact information for Domains By Proxy® (DBP) displays in the Whois database instead of your personal contact information. Because DBP is a separate legal entity, it must prepare the Domain Authorization Letter before your Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate or merchant account provider issues the necessary certificate for your website.
In your DBP account, you can request a Domain Authorization Letter for an SSL certificate, merchant account, or another business matter. DBP charges a $15 service fee for each Domain Authorization Letter and usually processes requests within 48 hours.
NOTE: Authorization letters are never sent to the customer. They are only sent to the Certificate Issuer or Merchant Account provider.