ID Protection

With ID Protection, your personal information is protected from appearing online with your domain name's public records. This is an easy and effective way to keep spammers, solicitors and other prying eyes away from obtaining this information.

Keep Your Personal Data Safe

In America alone, there are an estimated 9 million cases of identity theft each year1 and 3 trillion spam emails2 sent each year. Spammers and other 3rd parties often obtain personal information from the domain name owner’s public record, also known as the WhoIs Database. ID Protection keeps your information safe by making your domain’s contact records private.

Keeps You Safe

ID Protect keeps your information private, so identity thieves can’t find you.

Blocks Spam

Your contact details are kept out of the hands of spammers, so you get less spam.

Get Emails That Matter

Legitimate emails such as purchase offers for your domain are still forwarded to you.

Complies with ICANN

ID Protect follows rules set out by ICANN, the governing body for domain names.

Shield Your Personal Information

Did you know that your name, email, and phone number are made publicly available within the WhoIs Database when you register any domain name?


Whois Protection

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get ID Protection for my domain(s)?

During the domain registration process, select it as an Addon.

For domains already registered with us:

  1. Log into the My Account area at https://www.webhostingpros.net/myaccount.
  2. Go to Domains > My Domains.
  3. Click on the specfic domain name you wish to enable ID Protection on.
  4. Click on Manage > Addons.
  5. Under ID Protection, click the "Buy Now" link.
  6. Confirm your selection.
What is ID Protection and how does it work?

International rules require that valid contact information—known as Whois—is available for every domain name. ID Protection cloaks your identity and provides proxy contact information in the Whois.

ID Protection also reduces spam. In your cloaked Whois information, we provide a proxy email address that changes several times a year. We forward email sent to the proxy address, but when the proxy address changes, spam sent to the old address bounces.

Why is my personal information available when I purchase a domain name?

International rules require that valid contact information be provided for all domain names, and that it be accessible worldwide. ID Protect provides valid contact information that satisfies the international requirements without exposing your personal contact information to worldwide scrutiny.

What personal information is displayed in domain name Whois, and how do people find it?

Domain name Whois displays name, address, and email address. Anyone anywhere can search the Whois database through any search engine and many other web sites.

ID Protection provides proxy information instead of your personal contact information. Parties who want to contact you use the proxy information, and we forward to you.

How does ID Protection help reduce spam?

Domain name Whois is a principal source of email addresses for spammers. If your domain name has ID Protection, we change the Whois email address several times a year. Spammers harvest and use one Whois email address, but once we change it that source of spam is cut off.

Can I add ID Protection to a domain name that is registered elsewhere?

No. The domain must be registered with us in order to use ID Protection.

Which TLDs allow ID Protection?

ID Protection can be purchased for most top and second-level domains. Please consult Tradional TLDs for specific eligible domains.

In addition, most of the New TLDs support ID Protection.

Why can’t I use ID Protection with my .us name?

The .us Registry requires that .us domain names have actual identity and contact information, rather than forwarding information.

What if someone sends something to the Whois Privacy Protection Service postal address?

For mail which does not appear to be unsolicited commercial mail, the Whois Privacy Protection Service may either forward the mail to you or fax a page of the communication. The Service will not forward junk mail, nor will it forward mail if it becomes apparent that you provided the Whois Privacy Protection address to third parties.

What if I need to prove ownership of a domain?

To prove ownership of your domain, temporarily disable ID Protection inside the My Account area, and then ask the verifying party to confirm whois registration details

To disable ID Protection:

  1. Log into the My Account area at https://www.webhostingpros.net/myaccount.
  2. Go to Domains > My Domains.
  3. Click on the specfic domain name you wish to work on.
  4. Click on Manage > Addons.
  5. Under ID Protection, click "disable".
  6. Confirm by clicking the Confirm Cancellation button.
How do I turn off ID Protection if my domain has expired?

Our technical support representatives can disable ID Protection on an expired domain.

If I’m transferring a domain to Web Hosting Pros, and it has privacy protection, do I need to turn the privacy protection off to transfer?

Yes, usually. If the privacy protection service at your other registrar does not provide email forwarding, the service must be disabled so that you can respond to transfer confirmation emails.

If I am transferring my domain away from Web Hosting Pros, do I need to turn off ID Protection in order to receive the transfer confirmation emails?

No, our ID Protection service will forward to the email address associated with the domain name.

1 Source: IBM – 2006 Consumer Security Survey

What Our Customers Say



Give us a try and see why more small businesses trust our award-winning web hosting services!

Sign Up Now !