I have a few domains, and for one of them, I have to pay to keep personal details safe, so Whois doesn't show any personal info. But, I found out that on another domain, which doesn't have privacy paid for and it's not turned on in the settings, still shows no personal information in the Whois lookup. What could be the issue? Is it some kind of error in Direct or what's going on here?
Also, are there any different registrars that offer this kind of privacy service without charge?
There could be an issue with the registrar's configuration, which may not be presenting the personal info correctly, even if the privacy protection is not activated. Some registrars may have automatic settings that hide certain pieces of information due to specific regional laws, or they might have privacy features enabled by default for certain TLDs.
Another possibility could be the recent regulations such as GDPR in the EU, which have compelled many registrars to obscure personal information to comply with legal standards. This means that even if you haven't paid for privacy, your info may not be publicly displayed due to these legal constraints.
As for registrars that offer privacy protection without additional charges, there are a few that you might want to consider. For instance, Namecheap often includes WhoisGuard for free with domain registration. Similarly, Freenom provides free registration services along with some level of privacy protection. However, always check the specific TLD's terms since some registrars only offer free privacy on select domain extensions.
It's also a good idea to read reviews or ask in forums for current experiences, as policies can change and what was once free may not be anymore.
I usually keep the majority of my domain names with ahnames, the main representative of the Evonames registrar.
Pros include their quick support, affordable prices, and a complete lack of bad reviews. It's somewhat resistant to misuse due to being under Canadian and British laws, along with tech support that is usually open to discussions and compromises.
They also have their own VDS and servers under the name Advanced Hosters, plus they offer a trendy solution for regional website access distribution (I can't recall the exact term).
To sum it up, it's like a webmaster's ideal scenario to have a registrar and hoster combined in one platform.
They provide a unique control code to prevent unauthorized users from pushing or transferring your domains, and there's an IP access restriction as well.
On the downside, if you're looking to sell your domains on platforms like Afternic or Sedo for quick sales and parking, their service doesn't support that. However, their self-management system is independent of LogicBox and the sanctions against this country.
One drawback I noticed is that email can be changed without prior confirmation from the previous one, making it essential to always activate the control code option for domain-related actions.
Regarding InternetBS, if you are completely confident that your project is squeaky clean and won't land on any spam blacklists, you might want to give them a shot. But it requires constant monitoring of your domains around the clock since reaching an agreement with them during abuse cases is not an option—the domain will simply be locked.
I would say that the time frame for privacy does not align with the data regarding the domain. It's important to know that there will be a direct notification informing you of this. So, once the privacy time is up, your information will be accessible without a doubt.
Make sure you check your settings regularly because understanding how these periods work will help you manage your online presence better, ensuring that your personal info remains secure until the designated time complet. Don't ignore these details, they can be crucial for your peace of mind.