Quick answer
What is the best domain registrar for journalists and activists who need privacy?
Sealname, a private domain name registration service paid in crypto, is built for journalists and activists who need privacy: your name, home address and phone never appear in public WHOIS/RDAP, with no ID and no KYC — only a verified email, kept private. A .com costs $12.99/year, privacy included. A private domain hides who registered a site from the public. It does not hide your hosting, email or payments, and it is not above the law.
Sealname for journalists and activists at a glance
| What the public sees | Our privacy service's contact details instead of yours, on every extension we sell |
|---|---|
| What we ask | One verified email per domain (ICANN requires it), never published. No ID, no selfie, no phone number, no postal address |
| Who owns the domain | You do: you are the registrant of record by default (or our company, with the paid Registered in our name option) |
| Messages to the public contact | forwarded to your verified email; we never forward spam or bulk mail |
| Payment | Crypto only: BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC; minimum top-up $25; no card or bank details |
| Who can get your details | Only on a Panamanian court order (plus ICANN duties such as urgent requests on a threat to life and the UDRP); you are told before any disclosure, unless the Panamanian court order forbids it |
| Extensions to avoid | .us, .es and every extension rated "No" in the privacy index |
| Transparency | Every request counted in a quarterly transparency report; first report January 2027 |
What does a private domain protect?
A private domain keeps your identity out of the public registration record of your website. Anyone can look up a domain at lookup.icann.org. Since 28 January 2025, RDAP has replaced WHOIS for generic extensions such as .com, so we write "WHOIS/RDAP".
With Sealname, that public lookup shows:
- our privacy service's contact details instead of yours, wherever the registry allows a privacy service;
Your name, home address, phone and email are not published. People who want to reach you write to the contact shown in RDAP. Those messages are forwarded to your verified email; we never forward spam or bulk mail. You read them without revealing who you are, and you decide whether to answer.
What does a private domain not protect?
A private domain protects one record: the registration data of the domain. Everything around it needs its own care. Plan for these limits before you publish anything sensitive.
Which parts of a website does domain privacy hide?
| Layer | Hidden by a private domain? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Name, address and phone in WHOIS/RDAP | ✓ | Nothing more: Sealname keeps them out of the public record |
| Email in WHOIS/RDAP | ✓ | Use a separate address as the verified email; it is never published |
| Hosting account and server IP address | ✗ | DNS records are public by nature: pick your host with the same care as your registrar |
| Your mailbox provider | ✗ | A mailbox in your own name links the domain to you: use a separate one |
| Crypto payment | ✗ | Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tron, Solana and Litecoin transactions are public on their blockchains |
| What you publish | ✗ | Photos, documents and writing style can identify an author |
| A court order | ✗ | Only a Panamanian court order, or an urgent request under ICANN rules, leads to disclosure; foreign governments go through Panamanian legal process |
| A UDRP complaint | ✗ | The dispute provider receives the registrant's details; WIPO panels usually name both the privacy service and the registrant |
How do I set up a private website step by step?
These operational-security habits keep the domain from linking back to your name. They protect your privacy from the public; they do not put anyone above the law.
Create a separate email for the domain
Each domain needs one verified email. Use an address you open only for this website, not your work or personal mailbox. Keep it working: ICANN requires the email to be verified within 15 days of a registration, transfer or change, otherwise the domain is suspended.
Pay from your own wallet
Top up your balance from a wallet you control, with BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC. Paying straight from an exchange account that checked your ID adds one more company that can link the payment to your name.
Choose an extension that allows privacy
Check the domain privacy index first. Avoid .us, whose registry bans privacy services, and .es, whose registry does not allow them. .eu, .fr and .ca need residence or citizenship, more than an email, so we do not sell them.
Leave the Organization field empty
Under ICANN's Registration Data Policy, a filled Organization field makes that organisation the registrant. Fill it only if your newsroom or NGO should own the domain.
Keep the account number safe
Your random 16-digit account number is your login. Store it in a password manager and keep the transfer lock on. We never ask for your password, your account number or your domain transfer (EPP) codes by email or chat.
Check your public record
After registration, look up your domain at lookup.icann.org and confirm that no personal data appears. Our guide shows how: check your RDAP record.
When can Sealname disclose who registered a domain?
Only on a Panamanian court order, under our disclosure policy. A foreign government, a foreign lawyer or a private company — including one acting for someone you investigate — gets nothing without Panamanian legal process. The other cases are ICANN duties of every registrar:
- a dispute provider handling a UDRP or URS complaint about a trademark — the registrar must confirm the registrant and lock the domain within 2 business days of a UDRP complaint;
- data escrow and ICANN compliance checks.
And a complaint alone never takes your domain down: copyright, defamation and political complaints need a decision from a Panamanian court.
We notify you before any disclosure, unless the Panamanian court order forbids it. Your data is never sold and never used for marketing. Every request is counted in the quarterly transparency report. The first report is due in January 2027, covering launch to 31 December 2026. Authorities follow the law enforcement page.
Can someone get my domain suspended by complaining about my reporting?
Not with a complaint alone. Under the ICANN rules amended on 5 April 2024 (RAA §3.18), we act promptly on well-documented DNS abuse: phishing, malware, botnets, pharming, spam used to spread them, and child sexual abuse material. Those lead to suspension.
Claims about fraud, illegal content or copyright are different. They need a court order or a dispute procedure such as the UDRP. Other reports are reviewed within 2 business days. This is a rule about evidence and due process. It does not mean we never suspend: the abuse policy and the acceptable use policy apply to every customer.
Why not use a registrar that ignores abuse reports?
Because a registrar that ignores abuse can lose its ICANN accreditation, and your domain goes with it. Trustname promised its customers protection from takedowns (Domain Name Wire, 10 June 2026). ICANN sent a termination notice on 27 August 2026, effective 11 September 2026, for breaches of RAA §3.18.1 and §3.18.2 on abuse handling (ICANN notice). It had received 4 breach notices in 78 days.
A journalist or activist needs a registrar that will still exist next year. Sealname offers legitimate privacy: private to the public, not above the law.
Is it legal to register a domain privately as a journalist?
Yes. A privacy service is legal, and ICANN's own Registration Data Policy redacts the personal data of registrants from public RDAP by default since 21 August 2025. What works against you is false data. In the United States, knowingly giving materially false contact data to a registrar creates a presumption of wilful infringement in trademark cases (15 U.S.C. §1117(e)).
So give a real, working email, keep it verified, and let the privacy service keep it off the public record. Our guide covers the details: is anonymous domain registration legal?
Journalists and activists: FAQ
Can I register a domain anonymously as a journalist?
You can be private to the public, not above the law. Sealname keeps your name, address and phone out of public WHOIS/RDAP and asks for no ID and no KYC, only a verified email that is never published. We still hold that email and the order data, and they go out only on a Panamanian court order, as our disclosure policy explains.
Will you tell me if someone asks for my details?
Yes. We notify you before any disclosure, unless the Panamanian court order forbids it. The notice goes to the verified email of the domain, so keep that mailbox working. Every request, accepted or refused, is also counted in our quarterly transparency report. The first report is due in January 2027.
Does domain privacy hide my website's IP address?
No. Domain privacy hides the registration record, not your server. The DNS records of a domain, such as the A record that points to your server, are public by nature. Anyone can see which hosting company serves the site. Choose a host with care, because the host also holds your account and payment details.
Which extensions should I avoid?
Avoid extensions where privacy is impossible. The .us registry bans privacy services, and the .es registry does not allow them, so the holder's details can be public. Some registries check identity documents, such as .dk or .cn. Sealname does not sell these extensions. The privacy index rates every extension Yes, No or "not with only an email".
Can my NGO or newsroom own the domain instead of me?
Yes, if you fill the Organization field with its name. Under ICANN's Registration Data Policy, a filled Organization field makes the organisation the registrant. That can be the right choice for continuity, because the organisation keeps the domain if a member leaves. Leave the field empty if you want to hold the domain yourself.
Can I pay without a bank card?
Yes, and you must: Sealname takes crypto only — Bitcoin (BTC), Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Litecoin (LTC). You top up a prepaid balance (minimum $25), then register, renew or transfer from it. We never ask for card or bank details. Monero is not accepted; see our answer on Monero.
What happens if I lose access to my verified email?
Your domain is at risk. ICANN requires registrars to verify the registrant's email within 15 days of a registration, transfer or change, otherwise the domain is suspended. The same email receives relayed messages and disclosure notices. Use a mailbox you can keep for years, and update it in your account before you close the old one.
How much does a private domain cost?
A .com costs $12.99/year, with privacy included and the same price every year. Each extension has one price for the first year, every renewal and a transfer, with no teaser price. All 130 extensions are listed on the pricing page.
Sources (11)
- 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement and specifications (Whois Accuracy Program, data escrow, privacy/proxy) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-08)
- Registration Data Policy now in effect for contracted parties — ICANN (2025-08-21)
- ICANN's Registration Data Policy: key measures and impacts (Organization field) — Dreyfus (2025-10-28)
- Launching RDAP, sunsetting WHOIS — ICANN (2025-01-27)
- DNS abuse amendments to the RAA and RA — ICANN (2024-04-05)
- Updated UDRP rules (registrar lock within 2 business days) — WIPO (checked 2026-10-08)
- WIPO and privacy/proxy services in UDRP cases — WIPO (checked 2026-10-08)
- usTLD privacy services policy — usTLD (checked 2026-10-08)
- Termination notice to Trustname — ICANN (2026-08-27)
- ICANN sends breach notice to Trustname — Domain Name Wire (2026-06-10)
- 15 U.S.C. §1117 — Recovery for violation of rights — Onecle (checked 2026-10-08)
Register a private domain in your own name
No ID, no KYC, crypto only. A .com costs $12.99/year, privacy included.