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I've resisted WHOIS privacy and I am not going to use it, mainly due to the fact that there is still an archive of old data that could easily be found.
I use a false address, I know I'm not supposed to but there really is a risk of abuse in this part of the world. I am now thinking about changing the name on the WHOIS (which is currently my real name) to the name of my website.
The domain is around two and a half years old and my traffic is growing steadily, presently around 1,500 uniques a day from Google. Does anyone have any insight about the effect this might have, or any advice to give me about this issue... because I just want to be left alone and enjoy my life with my wife and family here, while I operate my completely above board, family friendly website.
[edited by: Asia_Expat at 3:52 pm (utc) on Jan. 22, 2009]
You could lose your domain if one of your (apparently many) enemies shows your data to be false and chooses to make a fuss.
Why put yourself in the wrong?
Why not use whois privacy (that's what it's there for!)?
If you have a registered company, then by all means use it for your domain registration. Don't use a false address, your local postal company surely offers a PO Box service for a small fee, so use that.
If the domain is in your personal name, don't hesitate to get domain privacy from a reputable provider. The archived whois information you can do little about, but it will not be a significant issue.
For the change of domain information in relation to the search engines, it is very unlikely to have any effect. It might be considered a change of ownership if the entire site changes as well, but the importance of whois information in the algo is usually overstated.
I know you're being tongue in cheek... but I don't have 'many enemies'... however, there are a lot of foreigners here with a lot of time on their hands, so they spend 16 hours a day on local forums hitting the refresh button dreaming up new ways to upset people from behind their monitor. Sometimes, you will be threatened simply for having the gall to run a website and having an opinion. Some parts of this country are like the wild west. It's prudent to protect your address. I also once did an expose on underage prostitution in one of the bars here that foreigners frequent... that alone could leave me vulnerable to repercussions. Many of those bars are operated by people that wouldn't flinch at sending me to the bottom of the river in a plastic bag.
It's no joking matter.
