When you register a domain name, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires your domain name registrar to submit your personal contact information to the WHOIS database. Once your listing appears in this online domain WHOIS directory, it is publicly available to anyone who chooses to check domain names using the WHOIS search tool.
As an accredited domain names registrar, Network Solutions® must comply with the WHOIS database requirements set forth by ICANN. However, in an effort to ensure that customers feel comfortable with the visibility of their personal information, Network Solutions offers three options for your WHOIS database listing.
WHOIS Lookup
Select an eligible domain and email addresses from your Network Solutions account to begin monitoring.
Public WHOIS Database Listing
If you're comfortable with having your information available to the public — and don't want the extra fee associated with Domain Privacy + Protection — Network Solutions will submit a public listing to the WHOIS lookup database. This listing will include your name, address, phone number, email address and domain name expiration date. Your website hosting IP address and host name will also be listed.
Private WHOIS Database Listing
Having your personal information made available to the public will increase your risk of becoming a victim of hackers, spammers and even data miners. To keep your contact information out of the hands of those who may use it maliciously, Network Solutions® offers Domain Privacy + Protection. For a small monthly fee, we'll act as your proxy — which means that anyone who does a WHOIS lookup for your domain name information will find our contact information, not yours.