Domain Names for Sale

**techguru** · 08-26-2003, 04:01 AM

No personal privacy when owning a domain. What do you think?

**Jonathan** · 08-26-2003, 07:48 AM

I don't use a personal email address. I use an email address where I know to expect spam. I also don't put any real information in any of the places where it's requested. Registrant, Billing, Admin, etc. I just make something up.

**david** · 08-26-2003, 09:22 AM

Personally I'm quite a fan of the details in WHOIS. Admittedly its a great place to SPAM from but with the amount I receive each day its really not a major concern. Would be very nice to get rid of spam but an extra 1 or 2 a day isn't hurting me at the moment.

What the WHOIS provides, though, is a bit of accountability. People are far too keen to hide their identities on the web, and forget they are talking to real people, that real people are viewing their website and that (if they are in business), they should be just as accountable as an offline business. WHOIS is invaluable for finding people's details if you need to contact them regarding a website. Although the real scammers put in false information (obviously, they arn't the only ones to do this) it gives you another weapon against them (it's against the terms of having a domain to put false info).

Overall, I think the details in WHOIS are more help than a problem. I think there should be methods put in place to stop the harvesting that goes on, but details should remain.

If you are worried about your privacy, though, one of the registrars (Dotster perhaps? or was it Register.com?) will put in their own information for you, so that you are protected.

**MeNtAlFrUiTcAkE** · 08-26-2003, 11:19 AM

Also www.domainsbyproxy.com/

**techguru** · 08-26-2003, 04:51 PM

Thanks everyone

**Jonathan** · 08-26-2003, 09:46 PM

I'd have to agree with you, David about the whole issue of accountability. I think it would be great if everybody had their real information.

One of the older domain names that I own used to be in my dad's name and it had his information. And now even though the domain name has been in my name for years, he still receives SPAM that uses his full name. It's a real nuisance.

If there were a good system that worked to prevent automated harvesting, then I'm all for it. And I'm sure I wouldn't hesitate to provide my information.

I totally agree that businesses are the sites that really should have their real information. In the past, if I've checked a business's WHOIS info and they are using an obvious alias or a fake address, I'm very likely to not do any business with them, for obvious reasons.

If Namecheap would put their information into my domains, I'd be all for that. But as far as I've seen, Namecheap doesn't offer that service, and I'm not planning to change registrars right now.