WHOIS Privacy (ID Protection) for Domains: What It Hides and How to Turn It On

Every domain has a contact record with the owner's name, address, phone number and email address. In the past, anyone could look these up. Today much of it is hidden by default, and FimuroHost adds free WHOIS privacy (also called ID protection) where the extension supports it, so your personal details stay out of public lookups.

What WHOIS privacy does

• Public lookups show privacy or redacted details instead of your name, address and phone number.
• Your email address is replaced by a masked address or a contact form, so people can still reach you about the domain without seeing your real address.
• It reduces spam, cold sales calls and fake invoices that use data scraped from domain lookups.

What it does not do

• It does not change who owns the domain. The registrar, the registry and FimuroHost still hold your real details, and you are still the legal registrant.
• It does not hide your hosting provider, your server's IP address, or your nameservers. Those are needed for the domain to work.
• It does not stop legal requests. Registrars can disclose data to law enforcement or in trademark disputes under their rules.
• It does not stop ICANN verification or renewal emails reaching you.

Which extensions support it?

Most generic extensions such as .com, .net, .org, .info, .xyz, .online, .site and .top allow privacy. Some country-code extensions, for example .us, do not allow privacy services at all, and others (such as many European extensions) already hide personal data for individuals at registry level. If privacy is not offered for your extension, the option simply does not appear.

How to turn it on

When registering or transferring

On the domain configuration step of the order, tick the ID Protection or WHOIS Privacy option if it is shown. It is free where the extension supports it.

For a domain you already have

1. Log in to your FimuroHost client area, go to Domains → My Domains, and click the domain (or the Manage button next to it).
2. Look for an ID Protection or WHOIS Privacy option on the domain page (it may be under an Addons tab). Enable it and follow the prompts.
3. If you do not see the option for a domain that should support it, open a ticket and we will enable it for you.

Check that it is working

Look the domain up at lookup.icann.org. The registrant section should show redacted or privacy details instead of your personal information. Changes can take a few hours to appear. See Check a Domain’s Expiry Date and Status.

Privacy and transfers

When you transfer a domain to another registrar, the transfer is authorised with the EPP (auth) code, so privacy normally does not need to be turned off. If the new registrar asks you to confirm by email and the message never arrives, temporarily disabling privacy can help. Turn it back on after the transfer completes.

Should businesses use privacy?

For personal sites, yes. For a company, showing the organisation name can build trust, and you can put a business address and a role email (such as [email protected]) in the contact record instead of personal details. Either way, the details stored with the registrar must be accurate.

Need help?

If you want privacy switched on or off for a domain, open a support ticket from your client area (choose the Support department and include your domain name), or message us on WhatsApp at 01818160926. We are happy to check your domain for you.