I, at first, had second thoughts about reporting this problem here. My personal information has been exposed. Yahoo! is not protecting my personal information although I pay them to do so every month.

I bought my first domain through Yahoo! more than a year ago when I got my first website. I know, rookie mistake... At the time of ordering my domain name, I checked the box for Private Domain Registration and have been paying for it ever since. Yet, my private information is exposed. I discovered this more than a week ago.

I contacted Yahoo! to report this problem. The person with whom I spoke argued that the error occurred because I "added the Private Domain Registration" option, later. I asked if he had an e-mail address so that I could send him a copy of my order and receipt showing that it had been ordered at the same time as registration and paid for from the first day onward.

I also informed him as he continued to accuse me, that I'd never gone in to change any information. I never had any reason to. I thought that my information was safe. Usually, when I did periodic checks through different Whois databases, it looked okay. However, this last check, recently, through a different database showed everything. It shows my home phone, my home address, my Yahoo! User Name and e-mail address which one is required to use whenever you sign up to any service through Yahoo! They never allow any of your aliases...or alternates for your protection...when it comes to your web hosting or domain purchase, in my experience. It always reverts to your top level User Name and Master e-mail address, or automatically applies with no way for you to change it.

I decided to write this as a warning to others here, if you value your personal information. Exercise caution. Yahoo! does not allow you to go in and change your phone number or e-mail address in the Registrant contact details area. You may only change this particular information in the Technical or Administration Organization contact details area.

At this time, I would not like to say which Whois database is exposing the information. I'd like you to know that your information may, too, be at risk. Maybe, some of you have already noticed.

The person that I spoke with that first night when I reported the problem tried to say that it was possible that the database acquired my information because it can take more than 24 hours for that information to become protected and, maybe, it had already been cached since the first day of registration. After talking with him and contacting the company who has the Whois database that is reporting my private information directly to find out how they got the information when it was privately registered, I went in to try to change some of my details that I, especially, want protected, like my private and personal phone number and e-mail address... The company's database that is exposing my private information updated immediately. There was no delay. I still can not change these particular details in my Registrant information, however, through Yahoo! I was only able to adjust this particular information in the Technical and Administration Organization contact details areas, specifically, through Yahoo! So, the new information that was showing in the Whois database of the company exposing my private information showed the updated information to the Technical and Administration Organization contact details, specifically.

In this respect, Yahoo! sucks. They still bill me for this service. I plan to transfer this domain to another registrar. Yahoo! has not resolved the issue and don't offer resolution. They just keep telling me lame stuff...that really doesn't address how to fix it. To be specific, they keep telling me how it may have occurred, or how registration works... That is not the issue. I never asked how registration works. I reported that my personal, private information is exposed and that I pay them to have private registration, and that they ought to make my details private, or in other words, correct the problem. I also want to know how this happened. What was of the utmost importance to me was that they correct it, post haste.

Yahoo! has had the nerve to ask for a survey response as to their service regarding the handling of this matter. They haven't resolved it, mind you. My information is still exposed! Have you ever heard of such a thing?! Boy! When I first began to write this, I was hot! I've calmed down, lots. I've received more support from the company that actually has the Whois database that is reporting my information than I received from Yahoo! What does this say? I have no accounts with the company whose Whois database is exposing my private information, however the tech spent time trying to research the problem and to find out if he could resolve it, and how they got the information, and when he couldn't, he told me whom to contact next... This is where I am now in the process. They're trying to help me to figure it out, the other company. What does this say to you?

I'll tell you more, later, maybe. I don't know if I want to name the company whose Whois database has access to information that is supposed to be secure because other peoples' information may, too, be at risk, and who this company is isn't the point as much as the fact that you ought to exercise caution when either choosing to register a domain name through Yahoo! Small Business or if you already have one or many registered with them and are also paying for Private Domain Registration. Many of you here are savvy and know ins and outs and may already be aware of the flaw in the system. I don't want anyone to be hurt by it. I wish that I could have you check your information, however, through them. I'm not certain that others would not try to use it to harvest the private information of others'.

Registering a domain name using Yahoo! Small Business was my first experience doing such as well as signing up for Private Domain Registration or even web hosting service, at the time, more than a year ago. Since that first experience of registering a domain name and signing up for Private Domain Registration as well as ordering web hosting service, I now use a different, general purpose e-mail address. My personal, phone number is not used when I register, even if it is for use with a personal web site. I guess, you can say, they are kind of a "catch-all" phone number and e-mail addresses, though not literally. They are only used for this associated purpose.

Thank you for writing your detailed experience. And I'm sorry to read what happened here.

Yahoo's asking you to answer their survey is actually pretty common among domain providers. But it can indeed be frustrating for some who still have on-going issues with that provider.

Been on that side, heard from those who felt the same way you did. But I never took it personally, however tempting it was back then.

Unless that other business in question has some kind of internal arrangement with Yahoo, chances are their database is merely parsing the information from Yahoo's. That tech who tried to help you out probably doesn't know that, but domain provider reps generally aren't obligated or required to know how independent parties work.

Needless to say, you took a risk and it didn't pan out. You live and learn.

One caveat to transferring, though: the gaining registrar will send the authorization email to the one listed on the WHOIS record. Unless Yahoo's privacy thing forwards it to the email in your account, I'm sorry to say the privacy service might have to be removed and, consequently, show the true information.

Before doing that, though, log inside your account and change the information to something else you control. But don't cancel the privacy service, just ask if it can be temporarily suspended.

Bottom line: ask for options and what are the possible results that can happen. Last thing you want is unexpected, unwanted surprises.

Good luck trying to resolve your issues.

Thank you, Dave. I tried to respond to you last August, early September. I appreciated your taking the time to respond and offer your insight and point of view. We were having severe storms here and our internet connections were in and out, and I lost the post. I've tried since then and became frustrated and gave up... Now, finally, the issues have been resolved. I'm using a new ISP, and they've stopped upgrading their system and the internet service with them in our area is now stable...

I'm trying again...

I, finally, concluded the business with Yahoo! to my satisfaction by transferring my domain to another registrar, however, believe it or not, Yahoo! continued to bill me for the Private Domain Registration service. My website is still hosted there. You will not believe this! They said, that I was supposed to manually cancel the Private Domain Registration first, before I transferred and renewed it elsewhere... Have you ever heard of such a thing?

Computer programs are written by people. Why would a company have a system set up to continue to bill someone for a service in association with one that they no longer provide or control such as Private Domain Registration? I, according to the woman that I spoke with that handled my complaint when I called Yahoo! to report that they were still billing me and I expected a refund, had it confirmed that they receive other complaints to the same effect... That is, they receive complaints from customers saying that they are continuing to be billed for Private Domain Registration and want refunds after they have transferred to and renewed their domains with other registrars. So, they are aware of the problem. Why not fix it? Why continue to bill customers for services in connection with ones that they no longer provide? Why ought a customer have to manually do anything? Or if it must be manually canceled, oughtn't there be some prompt or something explaining that, just as there was one encouraging you to sign-up for Private Domain Registration? Oughtn't there be something there to say that you must cancel or you will continue to be billed even after transfer to another registrar? Oughtn't it be an automatic cancellation of Private Domain Registration when the domain is no longer registered or serviced by Yahoo! / Melbourne IT and out of their control? Don't tell me that it can't be written in...

So, I complained. I went through a lot of grief during that conversation with the support person. It was about an hour on the phone.... After some time, days to weeks, later...Yahoo! issued a refund for the money that they'd collected for the Private Domain Registration service that they were especially now no longer providing...as the domain was now registered with someone else and had been for a time.... They also stopped billing me.

In summary, Yahoo! never resolved the issue concerning my private details being openly exposed and reported in the Whois database though I was paying them for Private Domain Registration service from the time of domain registration. I allowed them several weeks of time to correct the problem before I, finally, transferred the domain to another registrar signing up for Private Domain Registration with the new registrar at transfer where the details have remained privately registered from the first day and continuing...

Although Yahoo! did continue to bill me for Private Domain Registration, at first, they, finally, did cancel the service themselves and issue a refund for all monies collected from me for the months following the transfer of my domain to the new registrar after I complained and asked for a refund.

I am satisfied with the services provided by my new registrar for this particular domain. I've experienced no problems in connection with it. As a matter of fact, it was my first and only experience thus far in transferring a domain. I'm planning to transfer more, now...

I will never purchase another domain from Yahoo!

They said, that I was supposed to manually cancel the Private Domain Registration first, before I transferred and renewed it elsewhere... Have you ever heard of such a thing?

Yes I have. It's nice if the registrar's or reseller's WHOIS privacy service just forwards the transfer email to the actual one within the account, but email delivery issues render it more practical to just do away with the privacy service prior to transferring.

I probably didn't get your email, or it got buried among the deluge of emails I've been receiving for the past 2 years. Sheesh, I need to learn email management. (if there's such a thing anyway...)

Sorry to read what happened since then. Although it took more inconvenient effort, I'm also glad to know everything's eventually worked out.

And perfect timing, too. Yahoo recently announced to their customers they're raising their domain prices.

Hey!

Thanks, Dave.

I didn't know that Yahoo! Small Business is increasing the domain prices. I know that they've asked me to upgrade to the unlimited web hosting plan or something to that effect, but I think that it's at the same rate that I already pay. However, the new plan has some drawbacks so I didn't opt-in.

By the way...

Yes I have. It's nice if the registrar's or reseller's WHOIS privacy service just forwards the transfer email to the actual one within the account, but email delivery issues render it more practical to just do away with the privacy service prior to transferring.

...I think that it's terrible if companies are regularly continuing privacy service after a domain is transferred.... I think that you already know my opinion on this so I won't further comment... It's a pet peeve... I'll say that much... :)

Thanks again for your comments and insight. I appreciate you sharing your perspective with me...