What is Domain Privacy?

Domain Privacy is automatically included for free with every eligible domain registered with GoDaddy and is turned On by default. Domain Privacy keeps your identity safe by substituting domain contact info shown on public WHOIS directories with details from our Domain Privacy partner, Domains By Proxy®, when Domain Privacy is On.

Select a question to see its answer:

• What is Domain Privacy?
• What Domain Privacy levels are available?
• Why do my domains need contact info?
• Is my domain eligible for Domain Privacy?
• How can people contact me?
• Can I choose to show my contact info?
• How can I verify domain ownership?
• Why should I randomize my private email address?
• Does Nominet affect Domain Privacy for .uk domains?

What is Domain Privacy?

All eligible domains registered with GoDaddy have the Registrant contact info automatically replaced with substitute details from our privacy partner, Domains By Proxy® when Domain Privacy is set to On or Limited. Registrant contact info will be on the domain itself, but it won't be available to the Registry or shown on public WHOIS directories. The domain still belongs to you — except now, you and Domains By Proxy® will be the only ones who know it.

What Domain Privacy levels are available?

There are 3 different Domain Privacy level options available, so you can customize how much contact info is shown on public WHOIS directories.

• On: All contact info is hidden for this domain and replaced with details from our privacy service provider, Domains by Proxy®.
• Limited: Some contact info is shown for this domain, including the Registrant Organization, State/Province, and Country. No other contact details will be shown.
• Off: All contact info is shown for this domain. These details will be publicly available and could be used for phishing or spam, even if you turn Domain Privacy back on.

You can change your Domain Privacy level at any time in your GoDaddy account. If your domain has Domain Protection, you'll need to verify your identity before changing the Domain Privacy level.

Why do my domains need contact info?

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, requires us to gather contact information for the Registrant of a domain name, including name, phone number, and address. These details are shown on public WHOIS directories. Contact info for domains with Domain Privacy set to On or Limited will be replaced with substitute details from our privacy partner, Domains By Proxy®.

Is my domain eligible for Domain Privacy?

Domain Privacy is available on most domains registered with GoDaddy, but some domain extensions aren't eligible. You can still protect these domains by adding Domain Protection.

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How can people contact me?

People can contact a domain owner by submitting a request from the GoDaddy WHOIS results page after searching for a specific domain. We'll keep the domain contact info hidden when Domain Privacy is turned on, but contacts and inquiries can be submitted by selecting the Contact Domain Holder option at the bottom of the WHOIS results page. The domain holder will receive the inquiry via email but their contact details stay private and secured.

Can I choose to show my contact info?

Your contact info can be shown at any time by turning off Domain Privacy. When you turn off Domain Privacy, even for a short time, your domain contact info will be shown on public WHOIS directories and can be seen and potentially used by anyone. Setting Domain Privacy back to On or Limited will hide or replace your contact info, but if someone saw your personal details while Domain Privacy was off, they could potentially use that info.

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How can I verify domain ownership?

We recommend adding a TXT record to your DNS zone file to verify domain ownership. This is the best option to maintain your privacy while proving your domain ownership. Or, you can turn off Domain Privacy, which will display all domain contact info.

What is a randomized email address?

When Domain Privacy is turned on, your private email address will be [yourdomainname]@domainsbyproxy.com by default. This is a fairly simple email address and could be easily guessed, which might lead to unwanted spam email showing up in your inbox. When you randomize your email address, we change the characters in front of @domainsbyproxy.com to random characters, such as 123xyz@domainsbyproxy.com. This makes your private email address harder to guess and helps reduce the chances of receiving spam email.

Does Nominet affect Domain Privacy for .uk domains?

If you've decided to invoke Nominet's WHOIS opt-out policy, the visibility of your contact info will be determined by that policy, regardless of your Domain Privacy or Domain Protection through GoDaddy.

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More info

• Set up 2-step verification for the best security on your domains and account.
• Make sure your underlying domain contact info is accurate and make any necessary changes.