WHOIS Guard: Protect Your Contact Information
If you have ever purchased a domain name then you have probably had to give your personal private information to be listed in the WHOIS database. The WHOIS database contains all of the information about a domain name, such as the nameserver, the registrar and even your full personal contact information. Every registrar must keep and maintain a WHOIS database that contains all of the the contact information for the domains that they host. There is also a central WHOIS database that is maintained by the InterNIC. However, this particular database only contains the information for the domains that end in .com, .net and .org. So how can you maintain your valuable privacy and still own your own domain name? By utilizing a service called WHOIS Guard.
WHOIS Guard is a nifty little service that comes with a domain purchase from namecheap. The service is provided for free for an entire year and you are able to continue the service after that time by paying for it. It is definitely money well spent. Every single day, spammers harvest the information that is made available publicly by the WHOIS databases in order to send spam to you. WHOIS guard protects your private and personal information by placing their own information in the WHOIS database. They also provide an option to have your domain e-mail redirected to the e-mail you specify; and even any regular mail that may come to you, by mailing it to your real address. A great benefit is that while they are redirecting any domain e-mails, they filter it so that the obvious junk is not forwarded to you, saving you valuable time.
So how does WHOIS Guard actually work? In the easiest terms they place their information in the public WHOIS database, so that your private and personal information is not available to spammers and any other people that you do not want to have your information. You will still receive any contacts that are legitimate because they pass on any valid e-mail and regular mail.
The protection can also be turned on or off easily. When protection is enabled, the WHOIS Guard e-mail and physical mailing address shows up in the WHOIS database. This protects your privacy and personal information from the eyes of those whom you don’t want to see it. And with the internet being a virtual open book, it is nice to have a little privacy at your fingertips.
