What is Domain Privacy?

All eligible domains registered with GoDaddy will have their domain contact info automatically replaced with substitute details from our privacy partner, Domains By Proxy®. Your contact info will be on the domain itself, but it won't be available to the Registry, or visible in the public WHOIS directory so long as Domain Privacy is turned on. The domain still belongs to you — except now, you and Domains By Proxy® will be the only ones who know it.

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 person or business registering a domain name, known as the registrant or domain holder. This info includes your name, phone number, address and other details, which is reported to the domain registry and shown in the public WHOIS directory. Keeping your domain contact info private helps prevent unwanted spam calls and emails, and makes sure you're in control of what information is publicly available.

Is my domain eligible for Domain Privacy?

Domain Privacy is available on most domains registered with GoDaddy, but there are a few exceptions for certain domain extensions. You can still protect these domains in other ways by adding Domain Ownership Protection.

.au, .com.au, .net.au, .org.au
.be
.ca
.de
.es, .com.es, .nom.es, .org.es
.eu
.fr
.gg
.in, .co.in, .net.in, .org.in, .firm.in, .gen.in, .ind.in
.it
.tk
.us

How will people be able to contact me?

All domains eligible for Domain Privacy have immediate access to a private email address that will show in the public WHOIS directory. When messages are sent to this private email address, you can set it to forward the messages to your preferred email address. You'll be able to stay in touch with anyone trying to contact the domain owner, while still keeping your personal email address private.

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 could 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 my .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.

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 visible in the public WHOIS directory, and can be seen and potentially used by anyone. Turning Domain Privacy back on will replace your contact info with substitute details from our privacy partner, Domains By Proxy®, but if someone saw your personal details while Domain Privacy was off, they could potentially use that info.

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.

Related steps

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.

More info

Turn off Domain Privacy to show your domain contact info in the public WHOIS directory.
Some domains aren't eligible for Domain Privacy, due to registry restrictions. Review the Domain Name Registration Agreement for details.

Domains Help

What is Domain Privacy?