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What Is Domain Privacy Protection?

Domain Privacy + Protection

When anyone registers a domain, that person's name, email address, phone number, and even home address is publicly available online in the WHOIS database. This happens because the laws surrounding domain names require every domain name owner to disclose their contact information.

Since most people don't want their personal contact information available to the public where scammers, hackers, and anyone else can see it, they use Domain Privacy. Domain Privacy + Protection is a service Bluehost offers that will hide your personal contact information from the public WHOIS database and replace it with generic Bluehost contact information instead. You are still the owner of the domain name, but your personal contact information can be kept safe.

Domain Privacy + Protection protects you from:

  1. Spam and other unsolicited emails.
  2. Unwanted phone calls and postal mail.
  3. Identity theft.
  4. Fraudulent domain transfers.
  5. Competitors being able to look up which domains you own.
  6. Malware and SEO blacklists 

Some TLDs don't allow Domain Privacy

Not all domain extensions (TLDs) will allow you to have domain privacy. Each registry sets its own rules. Most ccTLD's (country code top-level domains like .us, .ca, .uk) do not actually allow WHOIS protection. In March 2005, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) said that all owners of .us domains would not have the option of keeping their information private and that information must be made public.

GDPR Domain Masking

If you're a customer who has protection through GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) law, Domain Privacy will add an additional layer of protection on top of it. For example, some registrars have trusted vendors who still have access to data associated with a domain even though that data isn't listed publicly. Adding domain privacy will keep all your information private. Further details regarding this service can be found in our Domain Registration Agreement.

How to add Domain Privacy + Protection to your domain

  1. Log in to your Bluehost control panel.
  2. In the left navigation, select "Marketplace," and then, in that same navigation, select "Add-ons."
    marketplace-addons
  3. Then find Domain Privacy + Protection from the list of add-ons, select it, and you'll be set to add it to your domain.
    domain-privacy-protection

Important Note: Customers who would like to buy Domain Privacy through Bluehost must have a domain that is actively registered with Bluehost. If your domain is not registered with us, you can look into transferring your domain (to know more about transferring domain, please see: How To Transfer a Domain Name To Us) or consult with your domain registrar for protection options.

FAQ

Q: How does Domain Privacy + Protect protect my personal information?

A: Domain Privacy + Protect masks any personal information displayed on the ICANN directory with generic contact information.

Q: How does the Domain Privacy + Protect Malware Scanner work?

A: Once installed, the Malware Scanner automatically checks your site every 24 hours, detecting malware and notifying you about it before it causes problems.

Q: What kind of notifications will I receive about my domain?

A: You decide what critical actions you want to be notified about, and we’ll send you SMS notifications to keep you updated. That way, you’ll know if there are any unauthorized attempts to purchase, re-register, or move your domain.

For further assistance, you may contact our Chat Support or Phone Support via 888-401-4678. You may also refer to our Knowledge Base articles to help answer common questions and guide you through various setup, configuration, and troubleshooting steps.