Identity Protect Limited - Domain Name Question

Sunnyspell

esuhl wrote: »

Huh? No -- this was how I set it up. I was fully aware that my name would be listed and my address and contact details omitted.

That's OK because you were aware of it.

esuhl wrote: »

I never paid for or opted for any kind of privacy service. I just chose to register as an individual (as opposed to a business).

I can't remember whether registering as an individual automatically hides your contact details, or whether you choose to omit them.

But 123-Reg haven't removed or cancelled any privacy I had. It's always been this way. I've had the domains for about ten years, and I don't think they even offered privacy services back then.

123Reg only started offering that privacy service a few years ago, before it was just what you describe, the opt-out so your address didn't show. Then they set up Identity Protect Ltd to offer the privacy, and they charge around 50% of the cost of the domain registration itself for the privilege of hiding your details.

esuhl wrote: »

Not if you're an individual who wants to hide his/her name as well as other details. Or if you're a shady business who doesn't want any comeback.

Maybe there are other valid business reasons; I don't know.

There are valid reasons, such as when trying to expose people or other businesses. Not everyone registers a domain to do business, and I agree if you are running a business and getting people to pay for services, they should know who you are, but not if you are not doing that.

In this case the shady business would be Identity Protect Ltd because they don't do as it says on the tin!

absolutereturn

Looks like there's been a few kerfuffles involving this company.

Sunnyspell

They were not happy with the decision and took Nominet to court... This is really concerning because of the following:

Nominet had no data other than that supplied by the registrar, in this case, that the domain was registered to Identity Protect Ltd. They had previously told Mr Bennison that, if he needed to obtain the identity of the registrant in order to issue proceedings, he could apply for a Norwich Pharmacal order against Identity Protect Ltd.

This came from the case of Bennison v Nominet Ltd

There really is no right to privacy in this country. Pointless to use a so-called "privacy" company such as Identity Protect Limited when they can disclose your details at the drop of a hat.

Even more worrying is how someone decided to just trot off to court and get an injunction, then bam goes the site. Only the police should be allowed to do that, not any Tom, !!!! or Harry.

If you want online privacy and security, you have to look at other options, maybe get a .com instead, I'd never get a .co.uk domain after this. Everyone should know just how insecure these domains are and run a mile!

glentoran99

I registered a domain a couple of weeks ago, Within two hours of registration I started getting phonecalls offering website creation services, That's one reason for hiding information on whois


why is .com any more secure? mine is hidded with PrivacyProtect.org

absolutereturn

It depends on who provides the privacy, Identity Protect Limited do not really protect your identity at all, as per posts above. They seem to be the only ones offering "privacy" for .co.uk domains, through their affiliate companies 123Reg and Godaddy. Privacy for .coms is available through various companies, they used to be in the US. Also .coms are not under Nominet UK, just look at the case above, where they got then to take a site down just like that.

onomatopoeia99

Sunnyspell wrote: »

Even more worrying is how someone decided to just trot off to court and get an injunction, then bam goes the site. Only the police should be allowed to do that, not any Tom, !!!! or Harry.

Do you understand the difference between a crime and a tort? People can have legal wrongs done against them that are not crimes. If they are not crimes, the police are not interested. So a method is needed to obtain a remedy, which is to pursue for damages in the civil (not criminal) courts. If the identity of the person that has done the wrong cannot be found due to "domain privacy" then this right to redress is thwarted. Hence the Norwich Pharmacal order being available to more than just the police.

gropinginthedark

I've started getting emails to [a variant of my domain name]@identity-protect.org where the domain names match names I own but instead of example.co.uk they're example.uk.

I've not requested or purchased those variants but past experience of 123reg does suggest they are keen to extract money from customers. A bit more digging I find that 123reg have registered the names "free for 2 years" so I guess there's some inertia marketing going on, after 2 years I'll find I'm paying for the variant.

Frankly I think the names without .co just look suspicious, very few have been sold so far, they should have been free to the holder of the corresponding .co.uk names, it's just a moneymaking scheme for Nominet and registrars like 123reg who charge nearly 3 times what they have to pay nominet for the name.

123reg even seem to be doing this in respect of names I've moved away to a cheaper registrar and names I no longer want and had already dropped (i.e. not paid the renewal fee).