WordPress should be more explicit on their up-sell of privacy.
-
Ok – so I can only presume that WordPress is catered to individuals like me who want to start a site but don’t know HTML and are new to the whole ‘create my own site’ gig. Which I’m sure WP is purpose built for… (I could be very wrong).
Either way – I’m not sure why the hell there is an option to allow your PII to be shared by WP in a ‘whois’ request. Doesn’t make any sense to me at all. And maybe I missed it, but there should be a HUGE warning! displayed if a customer ops out of it (maybe not knowing they will get a million missed calls from random numbers and who knows what else). I’m taking this education to the masses, as I don’t want anyone else making the same mistake I did. But I like how Squarespace have this turned on and included in their domain registration.
Maybe you guys should do the same? You know, would hate to be responsible for a someone getting stalked IRL through a lack of due care from registering a DOMAIN through WP. Imagine that.
-
Hello there, when you register a domain through WordPressdotcom, domain privacy is included as an option. See here: https://en.support.wordpress.com/domains/register-domain/#public-versus-private
Regardless, I’ve gone ahead and tagged this thread for Staff attention to note your concern.
-
Thanks for the follow-up. I think it could clearly be argued either way. I wasn’t well informed trying to save $8 per annum with a simple ‘Your contact information will be listed in a public database and will be susceptible to spam.’ and it is in part due to my ignorance and haste. However, it that line doesn’t bring to light the gravity of the situation if not selected. I’m getting 15+ calls a day from random numbers since signing-up. Random emails etc. Looking back, I don’t know why anyone registering a domain through WP would want this NOT as an available option.
In anycase – a mistake that I won’t make again (not that it matters, most people can now find where I live). And I wanted to ensure I do what I can to prevent others from doing so.
-
Publishing domain owner details is an ICANN requirement. ICANN requires the domain owners to have accurate registration information. This information needs to be verified each and every year.
What is private WHOIS is a proxy services offered by your domain registrar to hide your personal information. You can read more about it here: https://whois.icann.org/en/privacy-and-proxy-services
-
Hello again, domain privacy for the primary domain you register with WordPressdotcom is included in the plan. The $8 fee applies when you add privacy to additional domains you register.
Here’s what it says on the page I linked to earlier:
All WordPress.com plans include a free domain credit with optional privacy protection. Privacy Protection for additional domains is a paid upgrade that costs $8.00 per year per domain registration.
For all .ca domains, the Private Registration feature is enabled by default with no additional fee. For .fr domains, Private Registration is enabled by default with no additional fee for individual registrants. It is not available for organization registrants. For .in domains, Private Registration is not available.
As @wdn2020 mentioned, ICANN requires that accurate domain owner’s information be given at the time of registration. Domain privacy involves a proxy service that lists its details on your behalf.
You can still add domain privacy after the fact. Here’s how: https://en.support.wordpress.com/domains/register-domain/#enabling-privacy-later
Again, this thread is tagged for Staff attention to note your concerns.
-
Hi there,
When registering a domain in the step where you have to fill your personal information there’s a notification on top explaining why it’s best to register a domain privately. Also, the Privacy Protection is selected by default as you can see from the screenshot bellow:
If you have any other questions, just let me know and I’ll be happy to help.
-
Thanks @fotis!
@techrisq – Just to sum up then, domain privacy is included when you register a new domain on WordPressdotcom as a part of a plan.
However, if you register a new domain on its own without it being part of a plan, you need to add domain privacy to your registration and that is an additional yearly charge. From my own experience, this is also true for my domain registrar as well (not WPcom).
I don’t think the message on the domain privacy screen could be clearer than it currently is:
Protects your identity and prevents spam by keeping your contact information off the internet.
You should still be able to add domain privacy after the fact. Here’s how to do that: https://en.support.wordpress.com/domains/register-domain/#enabling-privacy-later
Let us know if you have any other question.
- The topic ‘WordPress should be more explicit on their up-sell of privacy.’ is closed to new replies.
WordPress.com Forums 