Is private registration really a scam?
Private registration basics.
For those of you thinking private registration is private, let me tell you….. IT IS NOT. Don’t waste your money on this service. Now, granted, registrars use their promotions to persuade you to purchase a service you don’t need.
Generally, the price is $9 per year for private registration. When you have 1000 names and your own renewals only cost $7 per year, this is really not worth it. You have more than doubled what everything cost you!
I don’t have the link, but there was a prominent case early this year or late last year showing that private registrations are easily accessed by anyone who inquires. It was some guy involved in politics or religion ( don’t remember which). Anyway, the website he ran was very contradictory to what his public image was. There was a big deal surrounding the registrar giving his information to someone that inquired and exposed him, WITH a private registration. Moral of the story: private registration is not really private.
US-based registrars
If your registrar is based or has operations in the US, your registration is not private no matter what they say. Namecheap WILL NOT KEEP YOUR INFO PRIVATE, NOT GODADDY, NOT 1&1, NONE OF THEM. It doesn’t matter what they promise.
When they get a verbal or written threat of being sued, they will give your info at the drop of a hat. It is far more worth it for them to save $$ and avoid legal fights than spend it on keep their word and protecting one paltry domain registrant.
I speak from experience with 1and1. They are a sham. I have known others using Godaddy’s private registration with the same experience. You’re not worth it to them. It’s simply a money-making and marketing tool. It is not a legal protection to you.
Lost privacy.
Let’s say someone requests your “private” domain registration information. If the registrar has your personal information from the PAYMENT method (forget fake other stuff), that is what they provide to the person threatening legal action. It doesn’t have to be a lawyer who is threatening them. All it takes is for someone, anyone, to say “My attorney will be suing you if you don’t provide their contact information to me NOW.”
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