Right now, there are millions upon millions of registered web domains out there. But guess what? We have a pretty nifty way of knowing who actually owns all this internet real estate.
We’re talking about WHOIS… which you just so happen to have a lot of questions about.
So, what say we provide you with some answers?
What is WHOIS?
WHOIS is the online directory service that allows people to look up information about domain names. CIRA maintains a WHOIS directory which permits queries to the .CA (Canada’s country code top-level domain) registry database.
Whenever you go to register your .CA domain name, you (“the registrant”) must provide some contact information as part of the process. It’s no different than if you were making an online purchase or creating an account with your local pickleball league.
Now let’s dive into some of CIRA’s most frequently asked questions about .CA WHOIS and privacy.
WHOIS frequently asked questions
1. Why do I need to provide contact information when registering a domain name?
Providing your contact information is important because it enables CIRA and your registrar (the company you registered the domain with) to be able to connect with you about the management of your domain name.
2. Will my contact information be published in the .CA WHOIS?
Your contact information being published in WHOIS depends on what Canadian Presence Requirements (CPR) category you select when registering your .CA domain.
One of the benefits of registering a .CA (besides showing off that your website is proudly Canadian) is that if you select an “individual” category when you register (for example, a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident), you automatically benefit from free privacy protection in WHOIS.
When someone searches for a domain that was registered as an individual, this is what shows up in our WHOIS results:
Personal information about the holder of this domain name is not available in the search results because the registration is privacy protected.
For those of you who are registering a domain and choosing a non-individual category (that is, you’re registering as a business), privacy protection may be offered by your registrar, either included in the domain price or for an extra fee.
If you are unsure if your WHOIS information is private, you can do a search above using your .CA domain name.
3. Can CIRA make my WHOIS information private?
We get a ton of emails from registrants who think CIRA has the power to make your WHOIS information private.
The common reason people ask this question is that they’ve accidentally registered a business domain name that should be an individual domain name. In this case, you will need to contact your registrar to change the CPR (Canadian Presence Requirements) category for your domain.
4. How can I get in touch with someone who has private domain information?
If you want to contact someone who has private domain information, first try using WHOIS. Enter the .CA domain of the person you would like to contact and click search.
However, if the person registered as an individual or is paying for privacy protection, then WHOIS will direct you to CIRA’s Message Delivery Form. This allows you to send a message to the registrant without CIRA revealing any contact information.
Need a little more info about everything related to .CA domain privacy and WHOIS? Head on over to our support resources section for more information.
Kira is the Content and Channel Marketing Lead at CIRA. She focuses on content, digital marketing and channel strategies to help Canadian business owners make the right domain choice for their business website so they can find success online.
