Short answer: WHOIS is a public database of who owns each domain. Without privacy, anyone can look up the owner's name, email, phone number and sometimes home address. WHOIS privacy replaces those details with anonymous contact details, which cuts spam, scam calls and fake invoices. At SiloLobby it is turned on by default, at no extra cost, for extensions that support it.
If you have ever registered a domain and then received a flood of calls offering "SEO services" or letters demanding payment for "domain renewal", you have seen what public WHOIS data attracts. This guide explains what WHOIS is, what privacy protects, its limits, and how to protect your business either way.
What is WHOIS?
When you register a domain, you give contact details to the registry through your registrar. These details identify the registrant (the legal owner) and other contacts. Historically, all of it was published in a public directory called WHOIS, so anyone could look up who owned a domain.
The original purpose was accountability: network operators could contact owners about technical problems. Today the data is also harvested by spammers, scammers and data brokers.
What WHOIS can show
Without privacy, a lookup may show:
- the registrant's name and organisation,
- email address,
- phone number,
- postal address,
- registration and expiry dates,
- the registrar and nameservers.
Data protection laws have reduced what many registries publish, but rules differ between extensions, and old records are often copied by data brokers before they are hidden.
What WHOIS privacy does
A privacy service replaces your personal contact details in the public record with the service's details, usually with a forwarding email so genuine messages still reach you. The registry still holds your real details privately, and you remain the legal owner.
Why it matters for Nigerian businesses and individuals
- Spam. Bots harvest WHOIS emails and phone numbers for marketing lists.
- Scams. Fake "domain renewal" invoices and "SEO listing" offers target new domain owners, often timed around registration and expiry dates.
- Phone harassment. Sales calls, sometimes aggressive, to numbers found in WHOIS.
- Personal safety. Sole traders and freelancers often register with a home address and personal phone.
When you might not want privacy
Some organisations prefer to show their company name publicly to look established and transparent, for example banks, government bodies and large companies. You can show your company name and a general business email while keeping personal phone numbers and addresses private.
Whatever you choose, the registrant details must be accurate. Hiding them from the public is fine; giving false details is not, and can lead to suspension.
Extensions that limit privacy
Not every extension allows privacy services. Some country-code registries, including parts of the .ng namespace, apply their own data rules and may publish or restrict registrant information differently. Where an extension does not support privacy, keep your public details business-only: a company name, a role-based email such as domains@yourbusiness.com.ng and an office number.
Protect yourself from fake renewal notices
Whatever your WHOIS settings, be suspicious of letters, emails or WhatsApp messages that:
- offer to "renew" your domain at a strange price,
- claim your domain must be "listed" in a search directory,
- warn that someone else wants to register your name in another country.
Your genuine SiloLobby renewal invoices always appear in your client area under Invoices, and you only ever pay there or on Paystack's secure page.
A simple example
Chidi registers chidiprints.com for his printing business using his home address and personal mobile number. Within a week he starts receiving calls offering web design, SEO and "domain listing" services, and a letter that looks like an official renewal invoice asking him to pay to keep his domain. None of these companies is his registrar.
With WHOIS privacy on, his home address, personal number and personal email would not have appeared in the public record, and most of these unsolicited contacts would never have reached him.
How to look up WHOIS information
You can check what is public about any domain with a WHOIS lookup tool. It typically shows:
- the registrar,
- registration, update and expiry dates,
- nameservers,
- domain status codes (for example whether a transfer lock is on),
- contact details, unless they are hidden by privacy or registry rules.
It is a good idea to look up your own domains occasionally to see what others can see.
Privacy and domain transfers
Some registrars send transfer approval emails to the registrant's contact address. If privacy is on, the email may go to a forwarding address. If you are moving a domain away and do not receive the approval email, check your forwarding settings, or temporarily turn privacy off until the transfer completes.
Privacy and legal disputes
WHOIS privacy hides your details from the public, not from the authorities. Registrars and registries can disclose registrant information when legally required, for example in trademark disputes or criminal investigations. Privacy protects you from spam and scams; it is not a shield for illegal activity.
Best practices for your domain contact details
- Use a role-based email such as domains@yourbusiness.com.ng instead of a personal address.
- Make sure that email is read regularly, because renewal and transfer notices go there.
- Use an office phone number rather than a personal mobile, where possible.
- Keep details accurate and up to date: inaccurate WHOIS data can lead to suspension.
- Review your contact details once a year.
Frequently confused: privacy, lock and DNSSEC
- WHOIS privacy hides your contact details from the public.
- Registrar lock stops your domain from being transferred without your permission. Keep it on unless you are moving the domain.
- DNSSEC adds cryptographic signatures to your DNS records so attackers cannot fake them. It is a separate, technical protection.
All three protect you in different ways. Privacy reduces spam; the lock prevents theft; DNSSEC protects your DNS answers.
Who still sees your details?
Even with privacy on, your registrar and the registry hold your real details. They may be shared with authorities under a lawful request, or with the dispute resolution body in a trademark case. This is why your details must be accurate: the registry relies on them to confirm you are the owner.
What to do if you receive a suspicious "domain" letter or email
- Do not pay or click any links.
- Check your client area: is there a real invoice for that domain?
- If not, ignore it or report it as spam.
- If unsure, forward it to our support team and ask.
Summary checklist
- Privacy on for domains whose extension supports it
- Accurate registrant details on file
- Role-based contact email that is read regularly
- Registrar lock on (unless transferring)
- Renewals paid only from your client area
Summary
WHOIS privacy keeps your personal contact details out of the public domain database, reducing spam and scams. It is free at SiloLobby for extensions that support it. Keep your registrant details accurate, use business contact details where privacy is not available, and only pay renewal invoices from your client area.