Providers Using WHOIS Protection?

serverbear

What's your thoughts on hosts protecting their identity via WHOIS? This can be a deal breaker for me when deciding whether or not to add a particular host to SB.

concerto49

@serverbear said: What's your thoughts on hosts protecting their identity via WHOIS?

I think it's mostly frowned upon here - especially if you're a company. You can't even advertise on LEB if that's the case, right?

jhadley

I wouldn't use a provider that has either protected Whois or uses an address where they do not actually have a physical presence.

FRCorey

I would not. Companies at least real ones are public entities and will gladly show their information publicly. Seems like they have something to hide.

KnightSwarm_Phillip

A legitimate business should have no reason to attempt to hide their address.

SonicVPS

I agree, I don't see a reason not to.

People have randomly contacted me through my Whois details before though.

KuJoe

We use a P.O. Box for our WHOIS and any other document that requires our business address. My personal address is publicly available though but it doesn't help much in terms of business usage.

I'm a strong advocate of public, accurate WHOIS information for a company. Hiding behind WHOIS protection or fake information is on the same level as the "e-mail me to sign-up" ads.

KnightSwarm_Phillip

We get a lot of unsolicited snail mail with offers targeted at us as a business entity. Oh well, straight to the recycling hut they go.

KuJoe

@KnightSwarm_Phillip said: We get a lot of unsolicited snail mail with offers targeted at us as a business entity. Oh well, straight to the recycling hut they go.

We get the same thing, some post offices have a bin for all of their P.O. Boxes for junk mail to securely shred them so you don't have to bring it all home with you.

miTgiB

@serverbear said: What's your thoughts on hosts protecting their identity via WHOIS?

I keep mine public in hopes of visitors bearing cookies and cake (home made of course)

serverbear

@miTgiB said: I keep mine public in hopes of visitors bearing cookies and cake (home made of course)

If we ever do a US trip I'll bring some bears bearing cookies.

SimpleNode

@serverbear said: If we ever do a US trip I'll bring some bears bearing cookies.

New Zealand is closer, so send me some warm and fuzzy bears first :3

Nick_A

I've considered using private on some domains purely to thwart snail mail spam.

"YOUR DOMAIN IS EXPIRING PAY US $100 NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" My mom got one of those for her website and freaked out...

mpkossen

My WHOIS information is always public. I see no reason in hiding it. Since I'm a business, anyone can easily look up those details in the public registers anyway. I have made sure the phone number is a forwarded one (it forwards to my cell), so I can always turn it off during nights in my ISP's CP.

PhoenixVPS

Back when we started as drupalcentric.com I though that WHOIS Privacy was a good idea to protect us against SPAM. After being laughed at for doing this, we quickly got rid of it. The only thing that I decided to do was to set up a PO Box for spam mail and use that on our domain. WHOIS Privacy is pretty much useless, and if anything, it makes you look suspicious and not trustworthy. My recommendation: don't use it.

AsadHaider

Don't really get any mail spam, just those annoying domain renewal letters every year for some of the domains..

concerto49

If you sign up with Google Apps and use them to get a domain it automatically comes with whois protection. Just saying. We don't do it on purpose.

jcaleb

@miTgiB said: I keep mine public in hopes of visitors bearing cookies and cake (home made of course)

you accept postcard?

24khost

What have we as business owners got to hide?

PhoenixVPS

@24khost Nothing at all, good point :)

rds100

And all the information about our company is publicly visible in the trade register (if you know how to look it up) - so i don't see any reason hiding.

qhoster

It is always traceable - agreed.

prometeus

@miTgiB said: I keep mine public in hopes of visitors bearing cookies and cake (home made of course)

Me too, but no visitor so far...

:P

Maounique

Be careful what you wish for, might be sent by the competition, in this cut-throat environment, you may never know who has excess rat-poison at home, or even some anthrax spores :P M

Randy

I have a feeling you will send somthing to uncle sal

Patrick

How about sending a pile of shit? http://www.shitsenders.com

Randy

We should save that for uptime vps

Wintereise

Paying for shit

Whuuuut