How to keep Whois from being your stool pigeon

Whois .... Is Big Brother rearing his electronic head?

[mayor]

I own two web sites. If a search engine optimization sin is committed on one, the second can be accused of the same sin by association if the "judge" checks the Whois data base and sees that the same "sinner" owns both.

I also get a lot of spam e-mail and telemarketers calls that I highly suspect originated from culls of the Whois data base.

Maybe this is just paranoia but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

So is there some way to keep snoopers, spammers and Big Brother from knowing what web sites I own.

[grnidone]

Register under a different name? *shrug*

Kicking this thread to the top for a better answer than I can give.

-G

[WebGuerrilla]

If you register through an Open Source provider, you can easily change the registration info. I come across "John Doe" type registrations fairly often, and since the introduction of all the new registration services, it seems to be something that's becoming more popular.

[mayor]

Thanks for the tip, WebGuerrilla. May I request a referral to a decent open source provider.

[eljefe3]

This technique also applies if you have more than one website in the same category selling similar items.

I know of a few people who have been denied into the directories based on having whois info that is the same as a site that is already in.

[Marcia]

What is an open source provider? Any place I've used requires the information. How can we find and recognize one that's open source?

[click watcher]

as i understand it tucows is an open source domain name provider...
you cannot register directly with them unless you sign up as a reseller, but there is a list here [opensrs.org...] of their resellers,
i have used one myself and its pretty straightforward to make changes to the registration info.

[mayor]

I followed Click_watcher's link but could not find a list of Open Source domain name resellers on their site. Could anyone give me a link to an Open Source domain name reseller?

[oilman]

I use www.easyhosting.com to register my domains. They are owned by Tucows and therefore use Opensrs to manage the domains. Works like a charm and domains are only $20 CDN.

[mayor]

OK, I've researched the Open SRS registration and see that they, too, require detailed and factual registration information and say that giving them phony ID's of some sort is a breach of contract. It does look like it would be easy to edit the Open SRS registration info if one wants to do so quickly.

Not wanting to start off a new website under a breach of contract, but not wanting every snoop, spammer, telemarketeer and Big Brother to know that I'm owner of a website, I'm back to asking if anyone knows how to avoid this problem?

Might it be possible to go offshore to some privacy haven and register a dot com domain? (I apologize if this thread is drifting off toward the subject of another formum ... I will take it up in the forum about domain names if it continues much longer, or will accept the moderator moving it over there)

[Marcia]

Well, I never noticed it before, but the one I use - 000domains.com is a Tucows reseller, and just checking now is Open SRC. Very easy to make changes, and all domains are managed from one "Domain Manager."

Never gave it a thought before - good to know.

[stavs]

I just changed the owner/admin contact details of one of my .com domain names - registered with 123-reg.

However, I tried to do the same with a .co.uk name and the option was not there. Obviously a different system.

[DaveAtIFG]

Registering your domain under an obscure company name, a DBA type name (doing business as), and listing a PO Box as a mailing address will offer some privacy and still meet the terms of your domain name registrars contract.

[WebChicken]

How would you change existing accounts at NWS?

[DaveAtIFG]

Start at [networksolutions.com...]

[WebGuerrilla]

>>How would you change existing accounts at NWS?

Promise them your first born and a wheelbarrel full of cash... :)

[Marcia]

>How would you change existing accounts at NWS?

There was a site that had to go live and couldn't because it was impossible to get either the tech contact or the nameserver information changed (the name had been parked) at NSI. We wrote from original email address, both admin contact as well as the tech contact. No joy until we finally spent $13.50 for a years registration and transferred to another registrar. This was last Thanksgiving -the transfer was initiated on Wednesday, and had been implemented by Monday or Tuesday. I had the site set up within the hour, including making the changes, all resolved and operative within 48 hours.

It seems they can't ignore registrar changes, and that's how we had to do it to finally get the site up.

[DaveAtIFG]

I originally registered a pair of domains using my personal email address as the verification/security method. Two years later that ISP went under, no more email address. After half a dozen false starts and several weeks per domain I got the email address changed to password verification/security, then brought the records up to date. I couldn't wait to change registrars after that. I HAD to get the email address up to date before I could change registrars, they send a confirmation to the email address on record before changing.

You can get things changed at NetSol but it ain't easy!!

[mayor]

I also had an ISP e-mail address that is no longer valid registered with a domain at NSI. I've been working on changing it to a valid/current address for about a month now, following their instructions step by step by step by step, including sending them a fax copy of my driver's license. Three days ago, I finally got to the e-mail confirmation step from them saying that my change request has been accepted, and that in 24 to 48 hours I would see the change when I query their Whois data base. Well, guess what? We're beyond the 48 hours now, heading for 72, and no change.

I can't wait to move my NSI registry somewhere else. Theirs is an example of straight-jacket bureacracy at its finest. I'm trying out one of the Tucows Open SRC resellers to see if the instant online editing that is supposed to be possible with them is true.

[kapow]

This is a very useful thread. I am looking at creating 5 websites for the same company and getting them into Yahoo - each site will be about a different product. I need them to be seperate sites in order to be acceptible to the appropriate category. So I was wondering what company info to use when registering the names. I am planning on using something false - but would appreciate more WMW opinions (expert or otherwise) on the subject.

I use pairnic.com, they are a tucows reseller and I find it very easy to make changes via their account control centre - all I have to do is remember my password.

Plus - I HATE SPAM !!! - why must we advertise our email addresses to the lowest strata of life in the universe?

[Gary_Snyder]

Why not just have your "Who Is" information "unlisted"? Then no one can see any information. Others have done it.

[mayor]

Never heard of getting "ulisted" in Whois. How does one go about this?

[GWJ]

Never heard of getting "ulisted" in Whois. How does one go about this?

You may do so here [networksolutions.com]. It is about 2/3 of the way down the page.

Brian

[WebChicken]

I do not see how to remove your info from the public-- just from bulk sales to 3rd parties.

Do the Tucows resellers allow you to hide stuff?

[kapow]

I just got a reply from the tucows reseller that I use (pairnic.com)

Below is part of the Network Solutions - non disclosure process. (I sent this text to the reseller too).
"...As noted above, our domain name registrar unit currently makes certain information about you available to the general public via our domain name registration database look-up and directory services. These services give users access to such data on a query-by-query basis. Qualified persons may also access such data on a bulk basis provided they agree, among other things, not to use the data to enable or otherwise support the transmission of mass unsolicited commercial advertising or solicitations via email; or (ii) sell or redistribute the data to third parties. If you do not want your personal information disclosed on a bulk basis, you may send us an email at [e-mail]. Include the words 'remove bulk access' in the subject line of the e-mail and all the domain names for which you are the registrant in the body of the e-mail..."

The Reseller said:
"...The policy with Network Solutions only prevents them from bulk sale of contact information. The information is still available in whois. Providing the whois information is a requirement for all registrars, there is not a way around it. We do not sell the contact information, so Network Solution's policy is not needed. However, we can not block information from appearing in whois."

So that seems to be a "No" from the Reseller!

[Haig Sakouyan]

As far as I know all domain registrars are Open Source. We use www.dotster.com for all our domain needs. Once you register with your personal information you can go back and change the information. Just be sure not to use a false e-mail address.

You could always use a hotmail or yahoo address that you hardly use and check once in awhile. Yahoo has a very nice bulk e-mail filtering software it uses.

The idea someone stated earlier about using a po box is very smart. If you get tons of junk mail from your who is listing then a investment of 30 something dollars for a few months is worth it.

[jilla]

One thing that's important about the email address is that if you use a junk one you never check you may not know when you need to renew your registration. I know that when I got one of my domains from someone he failed to send me a renewal noitce but the registrar company that he was a reseller from did send me a notice. If it wasn't for that I would've lost my domain.

With people ready to pounce on newly expired domains it's good to keep records if you do use a junk email acct.

[jilla]

Oh, one more thing. In terms of the question of different domains for yahoo- don't they use a credit card check if there are questions on multiple domains ? Or would changing contact info be sufficient. And what would you alter? Company name? Address?

[kapow]

Hi Jilla
Re Multiple sites in Yahoo see
[webmasterworld.com...]

Does anyone know if Yahoo do/don't do a credit card check???

[2_much]

Hi Kapow,
I believe they don't check or compare credit cards.