I recently purchased domains from different registrars like NameSilo, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, etc., and enabled privacy protection on each. But an SEO expert I spoke to claims that even with privacy enabled, registrars or certain parties can still see my actual personal info (name, email, postal address, etc.).
I thought privacy protection would fully hide my details from everyone except the registrar itself.
Is there any truth to what this expert is saying? Can other registrars or third parties still access my personal info? Any insights or experiences would be appreciated!
I worked for a registrar. Generally, only the registrar can see it, and possibly the registry if needed, but not other parties. Some registrars may share data internally, but I haven’t seen it go beyond that.
If you ever didn’t use privacy protection, your info might be stored in databases like DomainTools. But if you’ve always used it, it depends on the registrar’s implementation.
With privacy protection, registrars typically replace your details with a unique entry. Only the registrar or an associated forwarding service sees your actual info.
The expert is somewhat right, but it depends on the type of privacy protection. Two types exist:
Basic Privacy: Your info isn’t shown in public WHOIS, but the registrar has it on file.
Privacy Service: The registrar replaces your details with theirs, and access to your info depends on their privacy policy and compliance with laws.
For example, some registrars, like Tucows, use a tiered access system that allows access based on “legitimate” needs. ICANN is also moving toward a similar centralized system.
Privacy protection masks info in public WHOIS, but registrars or certain entities may still access it for admin purposes. Check your registrar’s terms, as policies vary.