About Domain Privacy and Protection
4 min read
All registered domains are listed in the WHOIS database. Searching for a domain in the database allows you to view information such as the domain's registration and expiry dates, who owns the domain, and the owner's contact information.
When you buy a new domain with Wix, or transfer your domain to your Wix account, you can choose to purchase additional privacy and domain protection.
Wix offers the following levels of protection for your personal information and domain security: Public registration, Private registration, or Private registration and DNSSEC.
Important:
The information in this article only applies to you when Wix is your registrar. If your domain is registered under a different registrar, even if purchased with Wix as a reseller, other terms may apply to you.
Public registration
Selecting Public registration when buying or transferring your domain means that your personal information is available on WHOIS.
Some information is not publicly listed, however. As your registrar, Wix automatically lists an alternative email address (e.g. example.com@wix-domains.com) and phone number instead of your personal information. To help minimize spam, anyone trying to get in touch with you will be referred to a dedicated online contact form instead (with the exception of ICANN, the domain regulatory body).
Your other personal and contact information is publicly available unless you purchase additional protection such as private registration or DNSSEC. Users in the EU are entitled to have some of their contact details hidden in accordance with GDPR.
The generic phone number and email are currently only available for newly purchased or newly transferred domains. Domains that were previously purchased or transferred appear in WHOIS with all personal information, including your phone number and email.
Private registration
Selecting Private registration (with Wix as your registrar) allows you to keep your personal information private. With this option, all of your personal details are replaced with Wix's details and are not available in the public WHOIS database.
Similar to public registration, Wix lists an alternative email address (e.g. example.com@wix-domains.com) and phone number instead of your personal information. To help minimize spam, anyone trying to get in touch with you will be referred to a dedicated online contact form instead (with the exception of ICANN, the domain regulatory body).
You can temporarily turn off private registration for your Wix domain whenever you need (for example, if you wish to transfer the domain to another registrar).
Already purchased a domain?
If you have already purchased or transferred your domain to Wix, you can add privacy protection by manually extending your domain registration for at least an additional year. Learn more about activating private registration for a Wix domain.
Private registration safeguards you against:
Identity theft
Just as you may protect your banking information, address, or phone number, it is also important to keep other personal information private. Private registration helps to protect against malicious attacks that seek to steal your information.
Just as you may protect your banking information, address, or phone number, it is also important to keep other personal information private. Private registration helps to protect against malicious attacks that seek to steal your information.
Unwanted solicitations
If your personal information is available on WHOIS it is also easily accessible to telemarketers, spammers, and scammers.
If your personal information is available on WHOIS it is also easily accessible to telemarketers, spammers, and scammers.
Domain hijacking
Private registration, with Wix as your registrar, helps protect against those who seek to purchase your domain name. Domain names can be very valuable and, as a result, you may be harassed with attempts to purchase your domain.
Private registration, with Wix as your registrar, helps protect against those who seek to purchase your domain name. Domain names can be very valuable and, as a result, you may be harassed with attempts to purchase your domain.
Important:
- Private registration does not guarantee protection from spammers. Listing your personal details (e.g. email address) on your site might also put you at risk. We recommend using a contact form on your site instead of sharing your contact details.
- Private registration does not protect you in cases where the disclosure of your details is required under applicable law.
Private registration and DNSSEC
Wix offers Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) in combination with private registration for the highest level of privacy and domain protection. DNSSEC is available in all non-EU countries, and for all .com domains.
Selecting Private registration and DNSSEC provides all of the protections that come with private registration, with the extra security that DNSSEC offers.
DNSSEC adds a security seal to your domain, helping to prevent cyberattacks and enhancing your site’s integrity by securing your visitors' private information.
When someone visits your site, DNSSEC makes sure that they are directed to the correct IP address associated with your domain name. It acts as a shield, protecting your site and your visitors from cyberattacks (such as being redirected to a malicious website).
Already purchased a domain?
To enable DNSSEC for your existing Wix domain, extend your domain for at least one additional year and add the Private registration and DNSSEC option to your cart. Learn more about activating DNSSEC for your Wix Domain.
Users in the EU
In accordance with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules, the personal details of users located in the EU do not appear in the public WHOIS records. An alternative email address (e.g. example.com@wix-domains.com) and telephone number replace EU users' contact details, and they refer anyone trying to get in touch with them to a dedicated online contact form instead (with the exception of ICANN, the domain regulatory body).
The only information that appears publicly about users in the EU is their country, state/province, and organization. EU users who opt for private registration will have all of their personal details hidden in the public WHOIS database.
Note:
Personal information, such a name, address, and email, may still be disclosed to third parties with legitimate interest (which is determined by the domain registrar) or as otherwise required under applicable law.
Top level domain endings (TLDs) that don't support private registration
The following top-level domain endings do not currently support private registration.
- ca
- co.uk
- com.au
- com.br
- de
- fr
- london
- mx
- tokyo
- in
- co.in
- firm.in
- gen.in
- ind.in
- net.in
- org.in
- be
- ch
- nl
- at
- co.at
- or.at
- it
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