: Can other domain registrars view non-public whois information? If my domains are hosted at a registrar (lets take Gandi, for example) and it has privacy protection on the whois information, can

@Phylliss660

There are two commonly-used methods of maintaining privacy in domain registrations:


Privacy services offered by the registrar. These services are independent of ICANN but regulated by them through policy. ICANN does require that registrars send private registration data to the shared registry, meaning that ICANN has access to that data, but they only reveal it to other registrars when necessary for verification, such as in the case of domain transfer. Note that many registrars will also reveal private registration data on a case-by-case basis upon receipt of a cease-and-desist letter, DMCA takedown notice, or other exposure to legal action. ICANN leaves these decisions to the registrar.
Proxy registration services (usually offered by third parties, e.g. web developers or attorneys). Registering through a proxy conceals the registrant's information even from the registrar because a third entity actually performs the registration, meaning that ICANN has no data other than that of the registrant's proxy. There are plans underway to require entities acting as registration proxies to be ICANN-certified by 2017, meaning that they would likely need to submit registrant data to ICANN in the same way as the registrars themselves.


So to answer the question: An ICANN-accredited registrar can access non-public registration data in certain cases, but such access is specifically forbidden for marketing purposes and is not available in bulk or by automated means.

For more information, see the ICANN Registrar Resources page and the Specification on Privacy and Proxy Registrations.

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