Anonymous Domain Registration-Pros/Cons

I'm almost ready to sign up with HostGator, but I still need to register my domains. Does anyone here have any experience with 'anonymous', or 'id protected' domain registration? I've seen it offered at sites like Aplus.net and enom.com and they make it sound attractive, but I don't know how well it really works in practice, mostly in terms of domain ownership and user control. Any information anyone can give me about it's pros and cons would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[JZ]

It is actually a great service. ICANN registration rules require that valid information be contained in the registration. Not only do people harvest this information to spam you, they also harvest it to send you junk postal mail, et al.

The ID protection services put information in the whois that is still considered valid. The email might be skvs7874lsd@protectmenow.com. This email will still work to reach you, but only for a limited time. This email will change constantly, so that when a spammer harvests it, it is no longer valid when they attempt to use it.

Con: It costs extra money, so if you aren't concerned about this....

[hotdog]

JZ outlined it pretty well, but if you want more info godaddy has a write up on it.

just do a search for it - google is your friend

Thanks for your quick replies, JZ and hotdog,

I had already done a bit of research, hence my original post. TheRegister.com's article states:

...(Go Daddy founder Bob Parsons)... said that registrants enter an agreement that allows them to do anything with a domain they could do if they owned it, including sell or transfer it, but they don't actually own it officially...

I guess my main concern is buying a domain that I won't actually own:

*Do all registrars offering these 'anonymous' registrations operate the same way in this regard, or are there any that give me complete ownership, while retaining my anonymity?
*If I have to choose between the two, which is safer and why?
*Is this a valid concern, or am I just being paranoid about this?
*Should I feel comfortable with this service as long the registrar is ICANN accredited?

I don't have anything to hide - my sites should be inocuous enough - however, I also recognize the value of not advertising my personal information to the entire world.

Thanks again for your input!

[andybush]

I would also add that anonymous domain names is a great way to simply stay anonymous. Always check if you are asked to provide your personal details when you register an anonymous domain. If you are, then it is simply not anonymous. I stick with http://yohost.org and never had to give out my personal details. And I paid with private Liberty Reserve payments making sure absolutely no info about me was trasmitted.

[gjm]

Personally I'd never trust any registrar implicitly - if they vanished what do you do then? As already mentioned 'technically' you wouldn't own the domain they would. That's why I stay clear of private registrations, you'd be far better off setting up a postal box and an email address just for domain info IMO!

[gwyneth]

Originally Posted by andybush

I would also add that anonymous domain names is a great way to simply stay anonymous. Always check if you are asked to provide your personal details when you register an anonymous domain. If you are, then it is simply not anonymous. I stick with redacted linkand never had to give out my personal details. And I paid with private Liberty Reserve payments making sure absolutely no info about me was trasmitted.

When someone's first post involves digging up a thread that has seen no activity for more than three years, and links to another hosting firm, it's really easy to get the idea this is spam. Reported.