When you register a domain name, your personal details such as your name, address, email, and phone number are stored in a publicly accessible database called WHOIS. Domain privacy, also known as WHOIS Privacy Protection, is a service offered by domain registrars to protect this personal information from being exposed to the public. Instead of displaying your personal contact details, the domain registrar will list their own contact information or that of a privacy service provider.
Here’s why domain privacy is essential for websites in Bangladesh:
1. Protection from Spam and Unsolicited Contacts
Reduce Email Spam
- Without domain privacy, your email address is publicly available in the WHOIS database, making it easy for spammers to harvest your contact information.
- This can result in an influx of unwanted emails, phishing attempts, and marketing spam.
Minimize Unwanted Sales Calls
- Your phone number, if exposed, can also be targeted by telemarketers, robocalls, or even scammers. Domain privacy shields you from these nuisances by hiding your phone number.
2. Safeguard Against Identity Theft and Fraud
Personal Data Protection
- Cybercriminals can use publicly available WHOIS data to conduct identity theft or fraud. For example, they could use your details to impersonate you or gain unauthorized access to your accounts.
- Domain privacy protection ensures that your personal information is not easily accessible to malicious actors.
3. Prevent Domain Hijacking
Increased Security
- When your personal contact information is public, it can be easier for hackers to exploit it in social engineering attacks or domain hijacking attempts.
- Domain hijacking occurs when someone gains control of your domain name and transfers it without your consent.
- With domain privacy, it becomes harder for hackers to initiate these attacks, as they don’t have access to your real contact details.
4. Maintain Anonymity and Professionalism
For Businesses and Individuals
- If you’re a small business owner or an individual, you may not want your home address or personal contact details exposed for privacy reasons.
- Domain privacy helps maintain anonymity, allowing you to keep your personal and professional lives separate.
Project a Professional Image
- Instead of having personal details exposed, using domain privacy can give your website a more professional appearance by avoiding potential privacy concerns from customers or clients.
5. Prevent Competitor Scraping
Protect Your Business Strategy
- Some competitors may scrape WHOIS data to identify potential leads or monitor your domain activities. By using domain privacy, you can prevent competitors from easily accessing your domain registration details.
6. Compliance with Local Privacy Laws
Adherence to Data Protection Regulations
- As privacy laws become more stringent worldwide, including in Bangladesh, protecting your personal data from being exposed can help you comply with regulations such as the Digital Security Act of 2018 in Bangladesh.
- Ensuring that your personal data is protected also demonstrates to customers that you take privacy seriously, building trust.
How to Get Domain Privacy Protection
1. Choose a Domain Registrar Offering Privacy Protection
- Many domain registrars in Bangladesh, as well as international ones like GoDaddy, Namecheap, ExonHost, or A.R. Technologies, offer domain privacy as an add-on service during domain registration.
- Some registrars may include it for free with certain domain extensions, while others may charge a small annual fee.
2. Enable Privacy Protection for Existing Domains
- If you’ve already registered a domain and didn’t opt for privacy protection initially, you can still add it through your domain registrar’s control panel.
3. Check the Privacy Policies for .bd Domains
- For country-specific domains like
.bdor.com.bd, the rules around WHOIS privacy may vary. In some cases, your details may still be partially available, depending on the regulations of the Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL). Check with your domain registrar to see if privacy protection is available for.bddomains.
Does Domain Privacy Impact Website Performance or SEO?
- No Impact on SEO: Domain privacy has no negative impact on your website’s SEO performance. Search engines do not penalize or reward sites based on whether WHOIS information is public or private.
- No Effect on Website Performance: Enabling domain privacy does not affect your website’s loading speed, uptime, or performance in any way. It purely relates to the protection of your contact information.
Conclusion: Why Domain Privacy Matters for Websites in Bangladesh
Domain privacy is crucial for both individuals and businesses looking to protect their personal information from being publicly accessible. It can safeguard you from spam, cyberattacks, and identity theft, while also helping you maintain a professional online presence. Given the increasing importance of data privacy, enabling domain privacy protection is a smart move for website owners in Bangladesh to ensure security and compliance with local laws.
