When you register a domain name; you enter your information — address, telephone & everything, make the payment and just like that, the domain is yours. But what also happens is, this information you just fed in, becomes public and can be visible to anyone, simply performing a WHOIS check.

Spammers & Telemarketers have a field day with this valuable, personal information and you’re going to get a ton of unsolicited calls & emails. You see, the thing is, this information is mandatory according to ICANN (The Governing body for Domain Names) so not adding it is not really an option.

Why make this information public, you ask?

Without getting too technical, ICANN stipulates that every Domain Registrar (folks like us) has to collect this information and make it public via WHOIS records. Such is the law of the internet and anyone wanting to purchase a domain name is faced with this reality.

What is the risk?

Well, starting from the not so harmful spam calls & emails, you can be a victim of anything from domain theft to identity theft and everything in between. This is your personal information we’re talking about, data mining companies are willing to pay a pretty penny for this.

What’s the Solution?

It’s simple, most Domain Registrars offer services that will mask all your private data with generic place-holder information. This means, no more spam calls or emails, your identity and domain is safe and the calls you receive, will be only from folks you’ve actually shared your details with. So all becomes well in the world again.

This privacy service is a life saver for businesses and individuals alike. Truth be told it’s not that expensive either. For a small sum, you protect yourself and your precious domain from a ton of trouble.

This article was first seen on the BigRock blog.