Company info

[gunpowda]

I'd like to withhold my details from Nominet Whois. Apparently if I register an individual, my name will show up. Can I register as a company if I don't actually have a company, or would that void the domain?

Thanks.

 

[accelerator]

Seeing that it's an automated registration program, then you are able to put through the domain name registration in a made up company name.

However, problems may arise if you ever need to prove to Nominet that you own the domain, e.g. you want to transfer the domain name to someone else. When you do this, they normally require proof that you are the individual who currently owns the domain name.

If you're not going to transfer the domain, then it is unlikely that anything will ever come of registering in a made up company name, seeing that the renewal process is automatic. However, others here may have different opinions.

Note, I have checked with Nominet that you don't have to give your full name when registering, e.g. if you're called Mark Simon Harris, then registering as M. Harris is accepted, although they may need more proof of ID when transferring the domain.

If you have a common surname, then registering as something like M. Harris is effectively anonymous anyway, because there will be so many of them out there. I guess it also slightly increases your chances of a fradulent domain transfer away from you, because someone else could pretend to be you more easily. However, Nominet will normally ask for proof of address too.

Finally, there are ID protect services that you can pay for. www.enom.com offer this service, but it makes your whole registration more expensive when compared to a company like 123reg.co.uk.

I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on cost effective and legal ways to keep your registration anonymous.

HTH

All the best

accelerator

 

[mishmash]

As an individual you have to have your name in the whois, but can elect to not have your address published.

THE REGISTRANT IS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS ELECTED TO
        HAVE THEIR ADDRESS OMITTED FROM THE WHOIS DATABASE

If you are a company or are using the domain for commercial purposes you have to according to the Nominet rules publish your address.

Registering a domain to a non-existant legal entity (the fictional company you propose) is a bad idea in my view - there is no one who can act on behalf of this entity to enact a transfer for example.

If you wish to hold and use a domain in an anonymous manner you will need to use a third party you trust to hold the registration on your behalf.

What are you trying to do - if you want to run a website anonymously I'd suggest not using a domain at all - it's just another "tracable" element that's proabably not required. Money and email are two other things that you should keep anonymous too, work from an untracable (to you) internet connection, if you're tryng to simply release information - do it all in one go in a single burst.