I Paid for ‘Domain Privacy’ Without Knowing What It Was. Should You?

When I purchased my domain for my coaching practice, the registration page displayed a checkbox: Add Domain Privacy Protection – $12/year.

I paused.  It is not that $12 was expensive, but I was already paying for the domain, hosting, and various startup costs.

But the description made it sound like it was urgent and important when I saw this message: ” It protects your personal information from public exposure.”

Public exposure? That sounded concerning. Therefore I checked the box.

I paid the additional $12 but didn’t genuinely understand what I was purchasing, but it seemed necessary.

Eight months later, I finally learned what domain privacy actually provides. And if I truly needed it.

What Nobody Explained About Domain Registration

Here’s what no one clarified when I registered my domain:

When you register a domain, your personal information becomes publicly accessible.

Every domain registration requires:

• Full legal name
• Complete address
• Phone number
• Email address

This information is stored in the WHOIS database. Anyone can access it.

Yes, anyone. Including:

• Spammers harvesting email addresses
• Marketers seeking sales targets
• Competitors researching your business
• Random individuals who are curious
• Scammers identifying potential targets

You can visit any WHOIS lookup website right now, enter any domain name, and view the owner’s personal information. Try it with a website you know. Their complete contact details are likely visible.

What Domain Privacy Actually Provides

Domain privacy substitutes your personal information with the privacy service’s information.

For example, without domain privacy:

• Name: Jennifer Thompson
• Address: 42 Maple Street, Toronto, ON M4B 2R3
• Phone: +1 416 555 0123
• Email: jennifer.thompson@gmail.com

For example with domain privacy:

• Name: Privacy Protection Service
• Address: Privacy Service Address
• Phone: Privacy Service Number
• Email: proxy-98765@privacyservice.com

Your actual information remains on file with your domain registrar which is required legally, but it’s concealed from public view.

What Occurred After Purchasing Domain Privacy

The spam ceased.

Before understanding domain privacy, I registered a test domain without it. Within 36 hours, I started receiving tons of spam emails with subject lines like these:

We can design your website!

Need digital marketing?

My personal email used for domain registration received 15-20 spam emails daily.

For my actual coaching domain with privacy protection? There was literally zero spam. 

Well, I still receive normal spam, but not the targeted “we saw you registered a domain” variety.

I avoided unsolicited phone calls.

Other entrepreneurs mentioned receiving cold calls after registering domains. For example, “we noticed you registered a new website. We can optimize your SEO!”

I never received those calls. Domain privacy hid my phone number.

My home address remained private.

This was actually the most valuable aspect for me. I operate from my home office. I didn’t want my residential address publicly accessible to anyone researching my business domain.

With domain privacy, my home address isn’t in the WHOIS database.

When Domain Privacy is  Actually Needed

After discussing this with other website owners, I learned domain privacy matters more in certain situations:

You should enable domain privacy if:

• You operate from home and don’t want your residential address public
• You’re using a personal phone number for domain registration
• You want to prevent spam from WHOIS database scrapers
• You’re concerned about privacy and personal safety
• You don’t want competitors easily accessing your contact information
• You value online privacy and minimize your digital footprint

You might not need domain privacy if:

• You have a commercial office with a public address you’re comfortable sharing
• You’re using a business phone line intended for customer contact
• You’re using a professional email that you don’t mind being public
• You want maximum accessibility and prefer people can easily contact you

The Privacy Protection I Actually Received

Here’s what my $12/year purchased:

Concealed personal information

My name, home address, and phone number aren’t in public WHOIS records.

Proxy email forwarding

Emails sent to the proxy address forward to my actual email. I still receive legitimate messages like renewal notifications, but spammers can’t see my real email.

Easy to deactivate

 If I ever need my information public (unlikely, but possible), I can disable privacy protection.

Automatic renewal

The privacy protection renews automatically with my domain, so I don’t need to remember to re-enable it.

What Domain Privacy Doesn’t Provide

Make your website anonymous.

People can still view your website content. They can still contact you through your website’s contact form. They can still locate you through social media or your published content.

Domain privacy simply conceals the administrative contact information required for domain registration.

Protect against legal inquiries

If legal issues arise, authorities can still obtain your actual information from your domain registrar. Domain privacy only hides your info from general public WHOIS lookups.

All spam

You’ll still receive spam to any email address you publish on your website or in business directories. Domain privacy just prevents spam from people mining WHOIS databases.

Is $12/Year Worth It?

For me? Absolutely.

What $12/year provides:

• My home address stays private
• No spam from WHOIS database scrapers
• No unsolicited sales calls from web service companies
• Psychological comfort and privacy

What I’m paying to avoid:

• Dozens of spam emails weekly
• Potential safety concerns from having my home address publicly accessible
• Disruptive sales calls

$12 divided by 12 months = $1/month. Less than one coffee. For privacy and spam prevention? Definitely worth it.

When Domain Privacy is Included Free

Here’s what I discovered later: Some domain registrars include complimentary domain privacy.

Some hosting providers include free domain privacy when you register a domain with them.

I’m paying $12/year for something I could have received free by selecting a different provider.

But Truehost Canada includes free domain privacy with domain registrations. I learned this after I’d already paid for privacy elsewhere.

When my domain renewal arrives, I’m transferring it to a provider that includes complimentary privacy. Why pay $12/year for something I can get free?

The Bottom Line

Domain privacy hides your personal information from public WHOIS databases. It prevents spam, protects your residential address, and stops random individuals from viewing your contact details.

Should you pay for it?

If you’re operating from home, using personal contact information, or concerned about privacy: Yes.

Also if it’s included free with your hosting/domain provider: Absolutely yes, no reason to decline.

But if it costs extra and you’re budget-conscious: Consider whether privacy is worth $12/year to you. For me, it was worth it to avoid spam and protect my home address.

What I’d Do Differently

If I were registering a domain today, I’d:

• Select a provider that includes complimentary domain privacy
• Enable privacy protection immediately don’t delay like I did with my test domain
• Use a business email for registration instead of my personal Gmail
• Consider establishing a business phone number if I’m serious about the venture
• Review the provider’s privacy policy to understand data handling

But the most important factor? I’d understand what I was purchasing instead of simply checking a box because it seemed important.

Registering a new domain? Get hosting that includes free domain privacy. Protect your personal information without additional cost.