Home Domain Names What is WHOIS?

What is WHOIS?

Last updated on May 08, 2023

WHOIS (amalgamation of "WHO" and "IS") is the protocol that allows anyone to request publicly available data about domain names from the registry. The protocol was once created to make it easier for users to obtain information about the domain owner to report abuse or request contact about possible sales, for example.

At least the following information is provided for most domain extensions:

  • Name

  • Company (if applicable)

  • Address

  • Email

  • Registrar

Privacy

You may be wondering what this means for your privacy. We are happy to explain. For a long time, all the data were published and anyone was able to retrieve it. Mainly since the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation, privacy has moved up the agenda worldwide. As a result, many companies have set up a service to protect privacy-sensitive data. Proxeuse also has such a service which we offer for free. Read more here.