Every domain carries a set of contact details: who holds it, who to contact about it technically, and where the bill goes. ICANN requires these to be true and current. What is published WHOIS (now also called RDDS) is the public lookup for domain registration data. For most domains the published set is limited - typically the registrant name, country, the registration and expiry dates, and the nameservers. The full contact record stays with the registrar and is released only to parties with a legitimate, documented reason. Why privacy protection matters If your name, address, phone and email were published, they would be harvested. Privacy protection substitutes proxy details in the public record so that the published entry no longer points at you. It does not change who owns the domain, and it does not prevent a court order or a legitimate dispute from reaching the real record. Two levels Full privacy hides everything including your name. Partial privacy hides everything except your name. Not every ending supports privacy - some registries require the registrant to be published, and country endings often have their own rules. Where privacy is not supported, the page will say so rather than accept the setting and quietly do nothing. Keeping the record accurate Update the contact details when your address, phone or email changes. Inaccurate registrant data is a breach of the registration agreement and can lead to suspension of the domain. The registrant email deserves special care: it is where transfer confirmations go. Use an address you control long term, protect it with two-factor authentication, and check that it still receives mail. Editing contacts Open the domain, go to the contacts section and edit the registrant, admin, tech or billing record. You can also apply the same contact to all four roles in one action. Changes are submitted to the registrar and the public record updates on the registry schedule.