Section 04 · Privacy Services

Privacy services: who sees what, and who still owns the domain

A privacy service keeps you as the registrant of record but puts the provider's contact details in public registration data instead of yours. That sounds like a small distinction from a proxy service, and it isn't. With privacy, the domain is still legally yours. The provider stands between you and the public, forwarding mail and handling contact requests under its own terms.

This section looks at what those terms actually say. When will a provider disclose your details, and to whom? What happens to forwarded email, and does it reach an inbox you check? Is the service bundled free with your registrar, sold as an add-on, or offered by a third party with its own risks?

For many generic domains, default redaction already hides what a privacy service would, so the paid feature may matter less than it once did. For others, especially where registrar policies differ, it still matters. We'll help you tell which situation you're in before you pay or switch.