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Remember when ICANN used to not care about these things and we'd ask for better enforcement of? Look, now they have. If you've registered a domain name you sho

by yardie 12y ago

Remember when ICANN used to not care about these things and we'd ask for better enforcement of? Look, now they have. If you've registered a domain name you should get an email every year like clockwork saying to verify the information or you may lose the domain. It takes 10 seconds to do a whois query. If you have more than a few dozen domains then it is a business, treat it like one. The IRS or HMRC doesn't care you didn't receive their notice. They'll fine you the same as if you ignored it intentionally. ICANN is in the DNS version of them. Ignore them at your own peril. And $DEITY help you if you are using a DNS anonymizer. You are begging to get your name highjacked.

rwallace 12y ago
'DNS anonymizer' - is that the same thing as a whois privacy service?
- thenomad 12y ago
  And if it is - any recommendations for protecting your privacy whilst also securely owning your domain?
  - kijin 12y ago
    1. If possible, use a whois privacy service that keeps your full name exposed and only hides your contact info. This removes much uncertainty about your actual ownership of the domain. Gandi.net does this. Internet.bs also has an option to do this, although I'm still not sure if I want to trust them at all. NameCheap and GoDaddy hide everything, as do most of the other similar services. 2. When you sign up with a whois privacy service, thoroughly test the email address that they put in the whois on your behalf. It should reliably forward all non-spam to your real email address, including ICANN notices and any email that you might need to check if you ever decide to transfer away. Many registrars/webhosts are abysmal at managing their mail servers, so any mail that transits through them might go straight into your Spam folder or even disappear into thin air. Both Gandi.net and NameCheap are OK in this regard, though sometimes the emails are delayed by a few minutes. Avoid any company that puts more emphasis on webhosting than on domain registration. 3. Some registries hide your contact info by default, so there is no need for whois privacy. If you're okay with unusual TLDs, try finding out what their policies are and whether you meet their requirements. For example, as a citizen of South Korea, I am able to register .kr domains without exposing my mailing address or phone number, but I can't hide my name and email address. Corporations, on the other hand, aren't allowed to hide their whois. Similar policies apply to .eu and a bunch of other European ccTLDs.

by yardie 12y ago

rwallace 12y ago

'DNS anonymizer' - is that the same thing as a whois privacy service?

thenomad 12y ago
And if it is - any recommendations for protecting your privacy whilst also securely owning your domain?
- kijin 12y ago
  1. If possible, use a whois privacy service that keeps your full name exposed and only hides your contact info. This removes much uncertainty about your actual ownership of the domain. Gandi.net does this. Internet.bs also has an option to do this, although I'm still not sure if I want to trust them at all. NameCheap and GoDaddy hide everything, as do most of the other similar services. 2. When you sign up with a whois privacy service, thoroughly test the email address that they put in the whois on your behalf. It should reliably forward all non-spam to your real email address, including ICANN notices and any email that you might need to check if you ever decide to transfer away. Many registrars/webhosts are abysmal at managing their mail servers, so any mail that transits through them might go straight into your Spam folder or even disappear into thin air. Both Gandi.net and NameCheap are OK in this regard, though sometimes the emails are delayed by a few minutes. Avoid any company that puts more emphasis on webhosting than on domain registration. 3. Some registries hide your contact info by default, so there is no need for whois privacy. If you're okay with unusual TLDs, try finding out what their policies are and whether you meet their requirements. For example, as a citizen of South Korea, I am able to register .kr domains without exposing my mailing address or phone number, but I can't hide my name and email address. Corporations, on the other hand, aren't allowed to hide their whois. Similar policies apply to .eu and a bunch of other European ccTLDs.