Learn why Trustname registers domains under Perfect Privacy LLC and how this approach provides an extra layer of privacy beyond traditional Whois protection. This guide explains how the registration process works, the benefits of Trustname's Two-Tier Domain Privacy, and how you can switch back to your own registrant details at any time.
Key Takeaways
- Enhanced Privacy – Your personal information is never linked to the domain during registration.
- Two-Tier Protection – Combines proxy registration with Whois privacy for maximum anonymity.
- Full Control – You remain the owner and can revert the domain to your own name whenever you choose.
- No Verification – ICANN contact verification is handled by Perfect Privacy LLC.
- ICANN Compliant – The privacy model follows ICANN's domain registration requirements.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key Takeaways
- How Domain Registrations Work
- The Problems With Public Whois Data
- Domain Privacy - A Half-baked Compromise
- Trustname's Two-Tier Domain Privacy
- Perfect Privacy LLC As Your Domain Registrant
- Whois Privacy Protection Services Gives You The Basic Domain Privacy
- Trustname's Third-Party Registration Is ICANN-Compliant
- Rounding Up
By registering domain names in the name of our partner proxy company, Perfect Privacy LLC, we ensure the utmost privacy for our customers since their personal information never has to be linked with the domain in the first place.
And we're not breaking the rules, we are bending them for you. According to regulations, a domain registrant's contact information should be publicly available, but having your personal details in full view is incredibly risky.
Most domain registrars provide basic domain contact information masking, but Trustname takes it even a step further with our Two-Tier domain privacy protection.
Read on to learn why and how we use our third-party domain registration to keep you safe and make it incredibly hard for anyone to find your contact details (even legally)!
How Domain Registrations Work
Domain names are human-readable addresses that visitors use to find your website online. You never truly 'own' a domain name. Think of domain names as leased property. You only own a domain name for its subscription period.
Once your domain name expires and you don't renew it, it goes through a number of phases until it becomes available to the public once again.
So how do domain registrations work?
Let's see:
- You Search On a Registrar
Most people register their domain names through a registrar. A domain registrar like Trustname gives you the tools to search for, purchase, and manage domain names.
The registrar provides a domain search engine that allows you to search for available domain names. On Trustname, our search engine also provides alternative domain names if the TLD you want is taken.
- Fill In Your Contact Details
When you register a domain name, you are required to provide your contact information - name, address, email, etc. - and you will need to verify this information to ensure they are accurate. This information is called Whois data and is made publicly available in the Whois database, per ICANN regulations.
You will need to provide details for the:
[+] [List] Green Ordered - Registrant – The entity whose details will be listed in the Whois database - your full name, address, email, and phone number.
- Administrative Contact – Details of the person responsible for managing the domain (usually the same as the registrant).
- Technical Contact – Information about the individual responsible for technical issues related to the domain.
- Billing Contact – Details on the billing address associated with the domain name.
- Complete Your Payment
You'll then proceed to the checkout page where you pay for the domain name.
- Contact Verification
To complete the domain registration process, you'll need to verify your contact information by clicking a verification link sent to the email you submitted or pasting a code in the required field.
Without doing this, your domain may get suspended.
The Problems With Public Whois Data
As we stated earlier, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) - the overseeing organization in charge of coordinating the names and numbers related to Internet Addresses - requires that domain contact details be made available in the public Whois database.
According to ICANN: "Whois data is made accessible to the public to allow network administrators to find and fix system problems and to generally maintain the stability of the Internet. Making the Whois database public also enables domain registrars to determine whether a domain name is available."
However, there's no need to explain why having your personal details - name, phone number, address, email, etc. - publicly available is not ideal. If left as is, anyone (with good or bad intentions) can use any of the free Whois lookup tools on the market to query your domain name and find all they need to know about you.
Identity theft… spamming… the list of ways bad actors can exploit your personal information is endless.
Enter…
Domain Privacy - A Half-baked Compromise
Domain privacy is a service offered by most domain registrars that hides and replaces your domain contact information in the Whois database with generic contact information or proxy details.
And for domains registered in the EU, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) automatically protects their Whois data. According to the GDPR, all contact information linked with domain name registrations in the EU must be hidden and show the 'redacted for privacy' status.
However, while this has been the industry's standard for a good while, it still comes with its flaws. With basic domain privacy, many registrars are still required by the relevant registries (companies in charge of a particular TLD e.g., .com, .co, .io, .net, etc.) to submit your contact info to them.
Also, all it takes is one court order in the jurisdiction where the domain registrar is located for your contact information to be divulged.
Trustname's Two-Tier Domain Privacy
At Trustname, we offer a one of a kind Two-Tier Domain Privacy service that ensures your contact info is never linked to your domain names in the first place. Registering your domain name in our partner company name is just the first layer of our service and you still get to enjoy the generic Whois masking offered by other registrars on the second layer.
So why does Trustname register domain names in the name of Perfect Privacy LLC.? It's simple - to ensure the most privacy for you.
Let's see how:
Perfect Privacy LLC As Your Domain Registrant
When registering a domain name on Trustname, you can choose to use your own personal details (the traditional route), where you'll need to verify your details to ensure that they are current and accurate.
Or you can choose 'Use a pre-defined contact' where we register your domain name in the name of our partner proxy company, Perfect Privacy LLC. On paper, Perfect Privacy LLC. will be listed as the official registrant of the domain, but you retain full control of the domain name - Trustname guarantees this. What are some of the perks of our third-party registration?
- The Utmost Privacy For You
First, register your domain under Perfect Privacy LLC. Means you'll never have to link your personal information with the domain name in the first place. By default, whenever someone runs a Whois lookup on your domain name, they'll see Perfect Privacy LLC. listed as the registrant.
The risk of your contact details being shared on the backend with the registries is suddenly eliminated too. You can register a domain name and stay anonymous!
- Perfect Privacy LLC Is The First Point Of Contact
In the case of domain disputes or abuse reports, Perfect Privacy LLC. is the first point of contact. Think of them as taking the fire for you whenever issues arise with your domain.
However, we will give you a heads-up whenever anyone files an abuse report against your domain name so that you can take any redemptive action necessary.
- No Need For Contact Verification
Another perk? You'll never need to verify the domain contact information as directed by ICANN - Perfect Privacy LLC. will do that for you since they are the domain registrant on paper.
You won't need to submit your email in the first place, so ICANN's 15 days email verification window will never apply to you.
- You Can Transfer Your Domain Without The 60 days Lock
Another subtle advantage you get over other domain name owners when we register your domain name under Perfect Privacy LLC. is that you can transfer your domain name to another Trustname account owner as many times as you want, without worrying about ICANN's 60 days registrant lock.
The new domain owner will also need to use our third-party registration for this to work.
ICANN regulations state that you cannot transfer a domain name to a different registrar within 60 days of making changes to the registrant name, organization or email address (or the Administrative Contact email address, if there is no registrant email address).
With Perfect Privacy LLC as your domain registrant, the registrant details are never changing and the domain is just being pushed from one account to another within the same registrar (Trustname)!
And the best part…
- You Can Always Revert To Your Name
You can always change the registrant details on your domain name to your own name, whenever you please. Perfect Privacy LLC. only acts as an intermediary and we never bind your domain names to them.
If you no longer want your domain name registered under the company, all you need to do is:
Head to your domains list: Under 'Domains' click on 'Registered Domains'.
[+] [List] Green Ordered - Select The Domain
Select the domain whose details you want to revert to yours.
- Access The Domain's Contacts
On the right, click on 'Domain Contacts' to see the current Registrant, Admin, Tech, and Billing contacts.
- Change The Domain Details
For each contact category you want to change, click on 'More' and then click 'Change'.
You'll need to unlock the domain under the 'Overview' field to be able to change the contact details.
- Input Your Details
Under the 'Choose contact' dropdown, click on 'New Default' to create your contact details that you'll use across all contacts at once. Alternatively, click on 'Add new contact' if you intend to use different contact details across the 5 contact categories.
- Save Changes
Click on 'Save Changes' to apply your new settings and proceed with the email verification.
You will now be listed as the domain registrant.
- Select The Domain
Whois Privacy Protection Services Gives You The Basic Domain Privacy
On the second layer of Trustname's domain privacy, we are partnered with Whois Privacy Protection Services to give you the basic domain privacy offered by other registrars.
This way, if you choose to use your own name in the initial domain registration, you can hide your contact details using the company's generic proxy information. And if you went to Perfect Privacy LLC. Route, our second layer, hides 'Perfect Privacy LLC.' as the registrar, creating a double shield.
Using these two proxy companies - one as a registrant and the other as a generic Whois privacy service - comprises Trustname's Two-Tier Privacy protection.
And the best part? We offer this service for free, where other domain registrars charge for the basic domain privacy alone (what we offer on the second layer)
Extra Legal Hurdles Before Your Account Info Can Be Accessed
Our Two-Tier domain privacy also creates a legal shield around your contact info. We intentionally partnered with these proxy companies across different regions - the U.S. and St. Kitts and Nevis to create a complex legal hurdle for anyone trying to get information linked to a domain name.
We will only disclose domain info or account info when we receive three simultaneous court orders across three regions - Saint Kitts and Nevis (where Perfect Privacy LLC is located), the United States (where Whois Privacy Protection Service LLC is), and Estonia (where Trustname is headquartered).
It's only when these conditions are met that Trustname is obligated to release contact information associated with a domain name. Read Trustname's Privacy Policy to see our commitment to your privacy.
Trustname's Third-Party Registration Is ICANN-Compliant
To sum it up, using proxy details in registration and Whois shielding like Trustname does is compliant with ICANN's regulations.
If you have selected Trustname's recommended pre-defined contact to enjoy our Two-Tier privacy for your domain name, this contact information is accurate, trustworthy, and verified.
Using privacy proxies and Whois privacy protection services, such as Perfect Privacy LLC or Whois Privacy Protection Service LLC (with whom we are partnered with), is acceptable and meets ICANN standards for Whois contact information protection.
Rounding Up
As awareness around the importance of privacy continues to grow, domain registrars offer domain privacy to help hide registrant Whois data. However, this approach still has its flaws and many registrars charge a fee for it. Enter Trustname's free of charge Two-Tier Privacy Protection.
Trustname is at the forefront of domain privacy and is setting the standard on how your personal information should be protected. We register your domain name with Perfect Privacy LLC. as the registrant to give you the utmost privacy and never link your details with your domain in the first place.
And you can always choose to add your own details whenever you want. Ready to try out our signature Two-Tier Domain Privacy and safeguard your online presence? Visit Trustname now!
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