Enable and Disable Domain Privacy and Protection

Every domain name is associated with public information about its owner. In the WHOIS database, the owner's name, email address, phone number, and even home address are accessible to the public online. The regulations and laws governing domain names mandate that all domain owners disclose their contact information. However, most people would not want their personal contact information accessible to scammers, hackers, and anyone else. This is why learning how to enable and disable Domain Privacy and Protection is so valuable. Bluehost has a service called Domain Privacy, which replaces your personal contact information in the public WHOIS database with generic Bluehost information.

Your personal contact information can be kept safe. To learn more about Domain Privacy Protection, please visit this article: What Is Domain Privacy Protection?

• What Is Domain Privacy and Protection?
• Purchase a Domain Privacy
• Enable Domain Privacy and Protection
• Disable Domain Privacy and Protection
• Additional Features of Domain Privacy and Protection
• Summary

What Is Domain Privacy and Protection?

Domain Privacy and Protection is a service Bluehost provides that helps keep your personal information private. When registering a domain, your contact details are usually listed publicly in a WHOIS database. This can put your personal information at risk and lead to unwanted situations like spam, scams, or identity theft.

To avoid this, Domain Privacy and Protection replaces your personal information with the details of Bluehost in the WHOIS database. This keeps your personal information private while allowing you to own and control your domain.

Domain Privacy and Protection services also offer extra security features to protect your domain from unauthorized transfers, hijacking, or other malicious activities. These features include locking your domain to prevent unauthorized changes, sending alerts for suspicious activity, and even offering insurance policies in case your domain is stolen.

Choosing Domain Privacy and Protection is a smart way to maintain your privacy online and secure your domain from potential threats.

If you're still on the fence whether you should get a Domain Name Privacy and Protection, check out our article on Do I Need Domain Name Privacy Protection? + Whois Privacy Service

Purchase Domain Privacy

Before you can enable Domain Privacy in your account, you need to purchase it. Follow these steps to achieve your goal.

1. Login to your Bluehost Account Manager.
2. Click the Domain Name tab from the side navigation menu to the left.
   
3. Click the desired domain name you wish to update.
4. In the Domain Overview, click the Turn on button. Alternatively, you can scroll down and expand the Domain Contacts section, and from there, click the TURN ON button under the Private Registration.
5. Complete the payment transaction.

Enable Domain Privacy and Protection

Domain privacy allows you to hide any personal information displayed on the ICANN directory with generic contact information.

1. Login to your Bluehost Account Manager.
2. Click the Domain Name tab from the side navigation to the left.
3. Click the desired domain name you wish to update.
4. In the Domain Overview, click the Turn on button.
   
   Alternatively, you can scroll down and expand the Domain Contacts section, and from there, click the TURN ON button under the Domain Privacy + Protection.
   

You have successfully enabled privacy in this domain!

Disable the Domain Privacy and Protection

Turning off Domain Privacy and Protection removes the privacy service that hides your personal information in the public WHOIS database.

1. Login to your Bluehost Account Manager.
2. Click the Domain Name tab from the side navigation to the left.
3. Click the desired domain name you wish to update.
4. Scroll down and expand the Domain Contacts section, and then under Private Registration, you click the TURN OFF button.
   
5. In the Turn OFF Private Registration pop-up, check the box beside "Yes, I'm sure I want to turn off Private Registration."
6. Click the TURN OFF button to confirm the change.
   

You have successfully disabled Privacy on this domain!

Additional Features of Domain Privacy and Protection

Domain Privacy + Protection includes Malware Scans to protect your domain and run malware scans and SMS Notifications to notify you if anything happens to your website.

1. Click the Domain Name tab from the side navigation menu to the left.
2. Select the domain you wish to manage Privacy + Protection settings.
3. Scroll down and expand the Domain Security section.
4. Here, you can manage SMS Security Alerts. Click the MANAGE button to update SMS settings or the TURN ON/TURN OFF buttons to toggle SMS alerts on and off.
   

Summary

Domain Privacy and Protection is crucial for maintaining the privacy and security of domain owners' personal information. By default, when a domain is registered, your contact details are publicly listed in the WHOIS database, making you vulnerable to spam, scams, and identity theft. To counter this, services like Domain Privacy replace the owner's personal information with the details Bluehost details in the WHOIS database, thus safeguarding your privacy.