Any time you register a domain name, you are required to provide valid contact information for the owner of the domain.  This information is published and made publically available in the “WHOIS” database.  Anyone can look there to see who owns the domain and to contact the domain owner if necessary.

Private Domain Registration, or WHOIS Masking, or contact privacy, is a service offered by some domain registrars where they will either (a) not publish the domain owner’s contact details, or will (b) publish “masked” details — i.e. details that point to anonymous names and addresses at the registrar.

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