What is ID Protect?
ID Protect is a service that protects the private information of a domain registrant / owner. Specifically, the ID Protect service cloaks the personal or company details from the publicly accessible Whois database. The ID Protect service is valid only for GTLDs and does not apply to .gr, .ελ, .eu, .ευ extensions.
ID Protect and GDPR
Since May 25 2018, when the GDPR came into force, the identity of the domain name owner is confidential and protected from the Whois lookup. However, the GDPR recognizes that there are times when there is a real, justifiable need for a third party to obtain personal data such as domain ownership information. This led to a tiered Whois service (Accredited Tiered Access or as it is commonly known as Gated Whois) where accredited third-parties can access "full" Whois information and the output available here includes personal data that is hidden from the public Whois.
With ID Protect, the personal data in the registration record will remain protected from those with access to the gated Whois, thus the output for privacy-protected domains will be the same in both the public and gated Whois.
Who has access to Gated Whois lookup?
There are three permission access tiers who have access to registrant data through Gated Whois lookup:
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Tier One – Law Enforcement Authorities
Users within this tier must be a member of a law enforcement authority who will be provided with data elements that may be relevant to a legal investigation, while still respecting the registrant’s privacy and consent choices. -
Tier Two – Commercial Litigators
Access for users within this tier will be limited to those elements deemed necessary to exercise their clients’ rights to pursue legal action against the owner of a domain registered on our platform. -
Tier Three – Security Community Members
Users belonging to this tier provide a valuable public service by examining trends in online criminal activity, helping to make the Internet safer for everyone. They may only view a limited set of information because, while they inarguably play an important role in online security, they have no official jurisdiction or legal authority.
Do I really need ID Protect after GDPR implementation?
The need for ID Protect is certainly not the same as it was in the pre-GDPR era but, as described above, it can give domain owners more control over the display of Gated Whois data. Therefore, it’s up to the domain registrant to choose whether they will use ID Protect with their domain names or not, by taking into account the above-mentioned information.
