Namesilo - privacy is not private - warning !!!

edgey said:

Get your facts straight, please !

50 websites is not a huge number - if you have many hundreds or thousands of sites, you can't have one registrar for each domain.

DNS is a completely different issue - nothing to do with domain name registration. I have dozens of hosts, vps, etc. Of course my entire network is not on the same DNS (how long have you been doing this????) 50 sites on one server ???

I am not "scolding" NameSilo for not offering SEO-hosting protection - their method of providing privacy is seriously flawed.

Their method of describing how their privacy options work is seriously flawed.

I will also add that the DEFAULT option when you register a domain with privacy is for your domains to be "grouped" by email address.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I cannot understand why anyone would want their domains to be private AND be identified by the same email address? What's the point of this option? What's the point of privacy?

How many people, when they sign up for NameSilo privacy, actually realise that this is what is happening by DEFAULT ?

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First, I'm only trying to help you.

Hosting is a completely separate issue than DNS/registrant. You can have "dozens of hosts, vps, etc.", and yet if your domains were purchased from the same registrant, THAT is the footprint. It'd be slightly less of an issue if it were godaddy or namecheap, with as huge as they are its easier to blend into the crowd as a percentage.

Now, if you had 50 from domainsilo, with 300 from namecheap, and 400 from godaddy, etc. etc. (spread amongst many registrants), then you've done it right -- and your target websites would only be receiving a smaller percentage of links from domains that were purchased from domainsilo. However, it sounded as though you have only 50 sites in a particular network, where 100% were purchased from domainsilo, and those 50 were pointed towards various different hosts and vps around the internet. If that's the case, you're still doing it wrong.

mst3k said:

My pet peves:

#1: Trashing the name of a company for no good reason. NameSilo did nothing wrong, period.
#2: Jumping all over a new members of a forum because they're, like ... new. Everyone had a 2nd post. Deal with it.

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1. They've done everything wrong. They know that lots of their customers use privacy for PBNs. They have to know this. Godaddy has whole freaking division dedicated to this (auctions) and Namesilo has to know that their customers register in bulk (not me - just 3 -5 at a time and sporadically - I don't have time or VAs coached and mentored to do lots of PBNs "right"). I can't imagine being a guy that buys hundreds of these and having a bunch that are now "connected" but I bet there are some out there.

2. I don't normally jump on new members in any forum or any community. But it did seem quite strange that a brand new member would appear on a white horse to defend Namesilo (and it is still quite strange). And if I hadn't called it out, someone would have. And yeah, I have 95 posts...since September...I only post when I have something relevant to say (and it's usually advice) and had been lurking for two years prior to finally registering. Some folks gotta work and others gotta b.s.

I'm not even out that much $400 or so counting having someone find the names a registering...what I'm out is time as I only build niche relevant PBNs (and I take my time with them - hence have 10 or so sitting there with no content - I don't go "thin content" on these - they end up looking more like BTB's 60 article small niche thread than a PBN site - I am risk adverse).

Also, I'm pretty sure the OP knows enough to have multiple registers and in what percentage...he's only been a member since 2010 (and w/ a low post count, I'm pretty sure that he's been jobbing - probably one of the successful silent types).

Anyhow, I'm done with this thread. I don't normally engage in flame wars on any forum. Ain't got no time for that.

mst3k said:

First, I'm only trying to help you.

However, it sounded as though you have only 50 sites in a particular network, where 100% were purchased from domainsilo, and those 50 were pointed towards various different hosts and vps around the internet. If that's the case, you're still doing it wrong.

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Not the case, I'm doing it right. At least I thought I was - until I discovered NameSilo privacy.

NameSilo, most clients wanted Privacy based on your statistics. So why don't you offer it upfront instead of click left and click right then up & down just to find themselves setting wrongly and boom complained.

You're trying to help, by defending your stead?

Silverbak said:

1. They've done everything wrong. They know that lots of their customers use privacy for PBNs. They have to know this. Godaddy has whole freaking division dedicated to this (auctions) and Namesilo has to know that their customers register in bulk (not me - just 3 -5 at a time and sporadically - I don't have time or VAs coached and mentored to do lots of PBNs "right"). I can't imagine being a guy that buys hundreds of these and having a bunch that are now "connected" but I bet there are some out there.

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The purpose of hidden registrant isn't for faking out Google. Its for protecting privacy of the domain owner, and also to prevent email spam to the domain owner. It's better to use fake registrant information with individual emails, because 100% of a blog network with hidden registrant is yet another footprint. 100% hidden by namesilo (even if each had a separate email) would be that much more a footprint.

The purpose of Godaddy auctions (in Godaddy's eyes) is not for clients to build blog networks for faking out Google.

Building a proper blog network that covers all bases is the responsibility of the PBN owner, not godaddy and not domainsilo.

I don't have time or VAs coached and mentored to do lots of PBNs "right")

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Aaaaah, huh? You don't know, or don't have time to do PBN's "right"? Did you just disqualify yourself from having a valid opinion? Don't even know what to say to that.

I only post when I have something relevant to say (and it's usually advice) and had been lurking for two years prior to finally registering. Some folks gotta work and others gotta b.s.

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You're rather exceptional. You afford yourself that excuse, yet no one else.

"The purpose of hidden registrant isn't faking out google."
Well, actually, for thousands of web masters, it is. If that is their reason for buying privacy, then that's the purpose, regardless of the original intention.
And these webmasters provide domain registrars with a very healthy income. Domain registrars are well aware of this - no privacy = no business.
If a domain registrar is not aware of this, they shouldn't be in the business.

"It's better to use fake registrant information with individual emails."
If you are prepared to risk the possibility of losing your domains, go for it.
Silverbak seems to adopt a similar approach to me. I adhere to the old blue-hat-seo guy's theory about every domain in a network actually bringing you some return (at least enough to pay its way), so all my sites have high quality content, they are niche-focussed mini-authority sites, which generate traffic and revenue, and as a bonus just happen to boost the power of other sites.

namesilo1 said:

The option is available on the Account Maintenance page. You would set "Privacy Randomize" to "No". Had the op selected "No" in their account then they would have been no problem.

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Found it... Thanks

namesilo1 said:

We have always made note of this on our web site, and have updated the verbiage recently to make it even more clear. Again, selecting "No" for "Privacy Randomize" makes this all a non-issue.

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After talking with friends and clients, I have to wonder how "clear" the "verbiage" actually is - nobody I have talked with seems to think it is.

When you click on the Account Maintenance tab (if you can find it), this is what NameSilo says about "Privacy Randomize":

"If selected, all of your privacy-enabled domains will receive a random @privacyguardian.org email address which gets automatically updated every 2-3 days. Mail sent to this address will be delivered to the WHOIS Privacy Email address listed below."

This is not "clear" that each domain will receive THE SAME random email address - only that they will receive "a" random email address.
For customers who use other registrars - such as namecheap - which assigns a random email address to each individual domain name, it would be easy to assume the same applies.

Also, NameSilo states here that they recently updated their verbiage in this regard to make it more clear - this would seem to indicate that they were obviously aware that this was causing some confusion - yet they seemingly didn't bother to contact their customers to minimise problems.

Thanks for the drama. I've applied those settings.

The option is available on the Account Maintenance page. You would set "Privacy Randomize" to "No". Had the op selected "No" in their account then they would have been no problem.

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edgey said:

This is not "clear" that each domain will receive THE SAME random email address - only that they will receive "a" random email address.
For customers who use other registrars - such as namecheap - which assigns a random email address to each individual domain name, it would be easy to assume the same applies.

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I agree, the wording makes it sounds like they all get an individual email.

Anyone know of any other registars offering free (decent) privacy with regs and renewals, namecheap only does it for new regs as far as I know.

deancow said:

I agree, the wording makes it sounds like they all get an individual email.

Anyone know of any other registars offering free (decent) privacy with regs and renewals, namecheap only does it for new regs as far as I know.

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Internetbs.net - free privacy, no ambiguity, very competitive pricing

If you have a large-ish number of domains with namecheap, you can get privacy for .99c per year (after the first year free) - and I think you can usually find namecheap coupons - privacy for 99c.

cottonwolf said:

Thanks for the drama. I've applied those settings.

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Just be aware that your linked domains could still be showing in whois archives - in which case your private blog network is now a public blog network.

Just to make it clear, they randomize the email after you have registered, and not on the time of registration?

I ran out test on whoislogy before I can see what's the problem. But their unique long string is pretty unique IMO. So the problem was, they grouped the email to the same person that's registered on the same time?

My problem with them however, is that they had a bug in their system which displayed my real email to the WWW. Only realized that when I started receive spam emails on a clean email that was not used for any stupid thing. They have since deleted my rant on their fb page, and just replied "contact support for this", where I did that and hadnt hear from them for weeks.

Namesilo - Meh. For anyone else that wanna flame them for whatever reason, please do.

To NS: The damage is done, all you could do now is apologize. But I guess that's not in your TOS right? No problem. Your rep now is destroyed and you realized how big this forum does to you right? (otherwise you wouldn't register just to /defend/ yourself).

waitier said:

Just to make it clear, they randomize the email after you have registered, and not on the time of registration?

I ran out test on whoislogy before I can see what's the problem. But their unique long string is pretty unique IMO. So the problem was, they grouped the email to the same person that's registered on the same time?

My problem with them however, is that they had a bug in their system which displayed my real email to the WWW. Only realized that when I started receive spam emails on a clean email that was not used for any stupid thing. They have since deleted my rant on their fb page, and just replied "contact support for this", where I did that and hadnt hear from them for weeks.

Namesilo - Meh. For anyone else that wanna flame them for whatever reason, please do.

To NS: The damage is done, all you could do now is apologize. But I guess that's not in your TOS right? No problem. Your rep now is destroyed and you realized how big this forum does to you right? (otherwise you wouldn't register just to /defend/ yourself).

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The problem is that they use the same random email for ALL the domains in the same account. So if you have 20 domains in one account, ALL those domains will have exactly the same random email - which obviously links them all as having the same owner = private blog network has just become public. whoisology archives the records, so there's no way back.

Of course, as NameSilo has pointed out, if you were aware that this is how they operated, and you were able to understand the ambiguity of their "verbiage", this would never have been an issue.

edgey said:

The problem is that they use the same random email for ALL the domains in the same account. So if you have 20 domains in one account, ALL those domains will have exactly the same random email

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As far as I can tell, this isn't necessarily true. I just looked through all 8 of my NameSilo domains using whoisology, and only 2 of them were linked. I've had most of these domains at least a year, so whoisology has had plenty of time to update their database.

Perhaps it has to do with the timing of your registrations, but as far as the 2 that were linked are concerned...there's no obvious pattern indicating why they are linked when the others are not, so I'm honestly not sure what to think.

Funny thang about whoispissology:
https://whoisology.com/archive_9/whoisology.com

They store everyone domain owners' details they can and DGAF about removing the archives, but yet you cannot see their details.
https://whoisology.com/about

"Please note that we do not remove records from either the live or historical archives."

Uh-uh, they are similar to ripoff report that ripoff report lives up to their name, too.

"Order a custom report or contact us about custom enterprise level needs."

With the 'randomize email' option, would it be possible for two different people to have the same random protected whois email address over the course of the year, not both at the same time but say January it belongs to person 1 and then March it is used by person 2?

If the answer is yes then even better - if its known that different people can have the same email address, it blows the archiving sites out the water.

Enryu said:

As far as I can tell, this isn't necessarily true. I just looked through all 8 of my NameSilo domains using whoisology, and only 2 of them were linked. I've had most of these domains at least a year, so whoisology has had plenty of time to update their database.

Perhaps it has to do with the timing of your registrations, but as far as the 2 that were linked are concerned...there's no obvious pattern indicating why they are linked when the others are not, so I'm honestly not sure what to think.

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To quote NameSilo: "It is true that all domains in an account share the same WHOIS privacy email address ... we update the WHOIS privacy email address automatically every 2-3 days. This makes it very difficult for bots to link domains to the same person even though, as you can see by the links you provided below, it is not impossible. "

Maybe you've been lucky somehow. I've had domains registered with them for years, and they're all linked thru whois archives.

I don't see this linked to privacy in any way. But yes, random addresses for domains would be better.