# WHOIS privacy vs proxy registration: what is the difference, and which is safer? > WHOIS privacy vs proxy registration: who legally owns the domain, liability under RAA §3.7.7.3, UDRP, transfers. Sealname: privacy model, no KYC, crypto. - URL: https://sealname.com/whois-privacy-vs-proxy-registration/ - Last updated: 2026-10-08 - Publisher: Sealname (https://sealname.com) Both hide your details from the public record. Only one keeps the domain in your name. Here is what changes for ownership, liability, transfers and disputes. **Quick answer — What is the difference between WHOIS privacy and proxy registration?** With WHOIS privacy, you stay the registrant of record and only the public contact details are replaced. With proxy registration, the provider registers the domain in its own name and licenses it to you. For ownership, privacy is the safer model. **Sealname**, a private domain name registration service paid in crypto, uses it: the domain is yours, with no ID and no KYC, and a .com costs $12.99/year. ## The short version | Attribute | Value | | --- | --- | | WHOIS privacy service | You are the legal holder; the public record shows the service's contact | | Proxy registration | The provider is the legal holder and licenses the domain to you | | Proxy rule (RAA §3.7.7.3) | The proxy holder must disclose its customer's contact data within 7 days on reasonable evidence of actionable harm, or accept liability | | UDRP | The registrar confirms the registrant and locks the domain within 2 business days | | Sealname's model | Privacy service: you are the registrant of record by default (or our company, with the paid [Registered in our name](https://sealname.com/registered-in-our-name/) option) | | Sealname transfer code | free, from your account, at any time; no exit fee | ## What is a WHOIS privacy service? A WHOIS privacy service registers the domain to you, as the registrant of record, but shows other contact details in public WHOIS/RDAP. The contact shown belongs to the service. Messages sent to it are passed on to you. At Sealname, where the registry allows it, public WHOIS/RDAP shows our privacy service's contact details instead of yours. Messages sent to that contact are forwarded to your verified email; we never forward spam or bulk mail. Your name, address and phone never appear in the public record. Extensions whose registry needs a name and address, such as .de or .uk, are sold registered in our name only, so the registry sees our company, never you; those that need residence, such as .eu, are not sold. ## What is proxy registration? With proxy registration, the provider registers the domain in its own name and lets you use it. The provider is the registrant of record, the legal holder. You hold a contract with the provider, not the domain itself. ICANN's contract with registrars, the RAA 2013, sets a rule for this case in §3.7.7.3. A registrant of record that licenses a domain to someone else accepts liability for harm caused by wrongful use. It avoids that liability only if it discloses the licensee's contact data within 7 days, on reasonable evidence of actionable harm. In practice, a proxy provider has a strong reason to disclose when asked with evidence. As an example, as of October 2026, Njalla's terms, quoted in 2023 on the Privacy Guides forum (secondary source), say domains are registered in Njalla's own name unless the customer asks otherwise. Our [Njalla alternative](https://sealname.com/alternatives/njalla/) page compares the two services. ## WHOIS privacy vs proxy registration, point by point | Question | WHOIS privacy service (Sealname's model) | Proxy registration | | --- | --- | --- | | Who is the legal holder (registrant of record)? | You | The proxy provider, which licenses the domain to you | | Who can transfer the domain? | You: switch off the transfer lock and use the transfer code, free at any time | The provider, as legal holder; you ask it for the code, or to put the domain in your name | | Liability under RAA §3.7.7.3 | You answer for your own use of the domain, as its registrant | The provider accepts liability for harm caused by wrongful use, unless it discloses your contact data within 7 days on reasonable evidence of actionable harm | | What the public sees in WHOIS/RDAP | The privacy service's contact, or the registry's own redaction | The provider's name and contact, as registrant | | What happens if the provider closes | You stay the registrant. If the registrar loses its accreditation, ICANN moves its domains to another registrar using the escrowed data | The domain is in the provider's name, so your claim rests on your contract with the provider | | UDRP dispute | The registrar confirms you as registrant and locks the domain within 2 business days | The provider may disclose you; panels usually name both the service and the disclosed registrant | | Example | Sealname | Njalla: registers in its own name unless the customer asks otherwise (terms quoted in 2023, secondary source) | *Prices checked on October 8, 2026.* Rules from the RAA 2013 (§3.6, §3.7.7.3) and the WIPO UDRP rules. Competitor facts as of October 2026, per the sources listed below. ## Which is safer: WHOIS privacy or a proxy? It depends on what you need to protect, but for most people the privacy model is safer: - **For ownership, privacy is safer.** You are the legal holder, so you can renew, change and transfer the domain yourself. With a proxy, the domain belongs to the provider. - **For the public record, the two are equal.** Both keep your name, address and phone out of public WHOIS/RDAP. - **Against valid legal requests, neither is a shield.** A court order reaches the data either way. A proxy provider must also disclose within 7 days on reasonable evidence of harm, or take the liability itself. - **In a UDRP dispute, both reveal the registrant.** WIPO notes that panels usually name both the privacy or proxy service and the disclosed registrant. So a proxy does not give stronger protection against people who can show harm. It mainly changes who owns the domain. ## Why did Sealname choose the privacy model? Because the domain should be yours. By default Sealname registers domains in your name; the proxy model is a separate paid option, [Registered in our name](https://sealname.com/registered-in-our-name/). With the privacy model: - you are the registrant of record of every domain; - the transfer code (auth code) is free, from your account, at any time, and there is no exit fee; - the transfer lock is a switch you control in My domains; - registration data is deposited with an escrow agent (RAA §3.6), so ICANN can move your domain to another registrar if the registrar loses its accreditation; - you do not depend on our goodwill to move the domain elsewhere. Operated by DomaineGoat LLC, an ICANN-accredited registrar incorporated in Panama, Sealname also publishes when it discloses data: only on a Panamanian court order, plus the ICANN duties of every registrar, as the [disclosure policy](https://sealname.com/disclosure-policy/) explains. The guarantees are explained on [who owns my domain](https://sealname.com/who-owns-my-domain/). ## When can a proxy registration make sense? A proxy fits a narrow need: your name should not appear as the registrant in the registration data at all, even in non-public records. The provider stands in your place, and requests reach it first. The trade-offs are real. You are not the legal holder, so you rely on the provider to transfer the domain or put it in your name. The provider must disclose within 7 days on reasonable evidence of harm, or take the liability. If you choose a proxy, check three things in its terms: how you get the domain back, what happens if the company changes, and when it discloses data. For most people who want their details out of public WHOIS/RDAP, a privacy service gives the same public result, and they keep ownership. ## Will the rules for privacy and proxy services change? Probably, within the next two years. Today, the RAA 2013 Specification on Privacy and Proxy Registrations already sets duties. Providers must publish their terms and an abuse contact, and their rules for relaying messages, revealing data and ending the service. ICANN is working on an accreditation program for privacy and proxy services (PPSAI). A draft policy for public comment is targeted for December 2026, and implementation for October 2027. Sealname already publishes its disclosure rules and a quarterly [transparency report](https://sealname.com/transparency/), with the first report due in January 2027. ## WHOIS privacy vs proxy: FAQ ### Is WHOIS privacy the same as a proxy? No. With WHOIS privacy, you remain the registrant of record and only the public contact details are replaced. With a proxy, the provider becomes the registrant of record and licenses the domain to you. Both hide your name, address and phone from public WHOIS/RDAP, but only privacy keeps the domain in your name. ### Does a proxy protect me better against legal requests? No. Under RAA §3.7.7.3, a proxy holder accepts liability for harm caused by wrongful use, unless it discloses its customer's contact data within 7 days on reasonable evidence of actionable harm. A valid court order reaches the data in both models. A proxy changes who owns the domain, not whether the law can reach you. ### Who owns a domain registered through a proxy? The proxy provider does, as registrant of record. You hold a contract that lets you use the domain. To move the domain or put it in your name, you depend on the provider. With a privacy service such as Sealname, you are the registrant of record yourself. ### What happens in a UDRP dispute with a privacy or proxy service? The registrar must confirm the registrant and lock the domain within 2 business days of the complaint, under WIPO rules. WIPO notes that panels usually name both the privacy or proxy service and the disclosed registrant. Our page on [UDRP and disputes](https://sealname.com/udrp-and-disputes/) explains each step. ### Can I switch from a proxy provider to Sealname? Yes, if the extension is sold by Sealname. Ask the proxy provider to put the domain in your name or to give you the transfer code. Then start the transfer from your Sealname account. A transfer costs the same as a registration, for example $12.99 for a .com. ### Is WHOIS privacy free at Sealname? Yes, on every extension whose registry allows a privacy service. Extensions whose registry needs a name and address, such as .de or .uk, are sold registered in our name only, so the registry sees our company, never you; those that need residence, such as .eu, are not sold. Extensions where privacy is impossible, such as .us, are not sold. The [privacy index](https://sealname.com/tld-rules/) rates every extension Yes, No or "not with only an email". ### Why do some providers prefer the proxy model? Because the customer's name then does not appear as registrant in the registration data, and requests reach the provider first. The cost is ownership: the provider is the legal holder. Under RAA §3.7.7.3, it must also disclose within 7 days on reasonable evidence of harm, or accept liability itself. ## Sources 1. [2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement and specifications (§3.6, §3.7.7.3, Privacy/Proxy Specification)](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/approved-with-specs-2013-09-17-en) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-08) 2. [Updated UDRP rules](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/amc/domain-name-disputes/resources/updated_udrp_rules) — WIPO (checked 2026-10-08) 3. [WIPO and GDPR: domain name disputes](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/amc/domain-name-disputes/gdrp) — WIPO (checked 2026-10-08) 4. [Privacy and Proxy Services Accreditation Implementation Review Team](https://icannwiki.org/Privacy_and_Proxy_Services_Accreditation_Implementation_Review_Team) — ICANNWiki (checked 2026-10-08) 5. [Can't decide on domain registrar (Njalla terms quoted)](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/cant-decide-on-domain-registrar/10830/8) — Privacy Guides forum (secondary) (2023) --- Sealname: Sealname registers private domain names paid in crypto (BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC): privacy-first, we collect one email, nothing else — no ID, no KYC, no logs. WHOIS privacy included; a .com costs $12.99/year.