If you have a website you want to read this.

[JackWebb]

Hiding whois information does not reduce your Google ranking. ... You can't have zero whois information

You're absolutely right; you can't have zero whois information. But the whois information lists the proxy company as the registrant, and that's what affects SE rankings. Let me tell you why.

Mushrooming is one of the oldest and most effective SEO tricks. To curtail this unfair technique, most search engine algorithms include a duplicate-entry formula, whereby they try to determine if a set of similar websites belong to the same owner; this is done by obtaining the registrant information from ICANN's whois database. Proxy companies represent thousands of domain names, and the probability of multiple websites hosting similar content is almost a certainty. Since these SE algorithms have no way of knowing that these duplicate registrant entries are actually only proxy companies, the rankings of the associated websites are invariably downgraded as duplicates.

So, Dude is right. Employing these proxy services does in fact reduce SE rankings.:

Sorry but you and dude are both dead wrong.. I've never heard or mushrooming so I googled it and found nothing.. But I guess you are right about one thing.. You said it's one of the oldest tricks.. It's so old even google doesn't remember it. Google changes it's algorithms almost on a daily basis. Neither you or I can really say whether or not hiding whois data will downgrade your rank and by how much if at all. However.. Historically speaking, it does not affect your page rank much at all. I'm no SEO expert but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that content and back-links are the two biggest factors in page ranking. And yes, pages are ranked individually even within a website, I know this for a fact. Un-hiding my whois data is not going to suddenly drive a ton of traffic to my site.. Common sense..

This mushrooming technique you are referring to I think has something to do with the number of pages that have hidden whois data.. Now if you have 1000 domain names and they are all hidden, then something fishy is going on. Simple logic.. If you have that many domains, then you are obviously a company.. If you are a company, you have a company address.. So if you have 1000 domain and they are all hidden, then yes google will downgrade your pages.

But that's not the topic here.. Read my original post. This is about anyone who owns even just one domain.. If you are some guy out in the Midwest with a single website, who is posting pictures of his sick and dying child and asking for donations to help with treatment and medical expenses. Under this rule, you could be considered a commercial website because you are asking for money. Your home address and phone number would be exposed to identity thieves and anyone else because of it.

My information is hidden yet NOBODY can take my domain(s) Why? Because they are mine and I can prove it without having to post my home address and home phone number all over the internet. There are crazy people in this world. Hiding behind a proxy is a good idea for everyone.

Not quite. By using these proxy services, you're essentially relinquishing full ownership rights of the domain name to them.

The real owner of the domain name is whoever is listed in the ICANN database as the registrant; and when such a service is employed, it is invariably the proxy company. They not only assume ownership of the domain name, but also all the responsibilities and liabilities associated with it. The only legal standing that you maintain as the so-called real owner of the domain name is the internal contract that you have made with the proxy company. This contract would usually stipulate that the domain name would be legally transferred to the proxy company, but that you would continue to bear all responsibilities and liabilities associated with its use. However, in the case of any dispute, it is left to either party to legally uphold this contract in a civil court of law.

As far as ICANN is concerned, the legal owner of the domain name would categorically remain whoever is listed as the registrant in their database. PERIOD.

Notice how this differs from domain name registrars, who might sometimes list themselves as the technical or administrative contacts, but never the registrant.

There have been cases of domain names misappropriated by less-than-genuine proxy companies, and even lost due to their negligence and insolvency. And true to form, ICANN have time and again dismissed the claims of the so-called real owners, with nothing more than a perfunctory redirection to the courts.

So, Dude is right again. Besides an internal contract between you and the proxy company, which may or may not be upheld in a court of law, there is technically zero-proof that you actually own it.

Buyer beware!

Sorry again, you are just plain wrong.. In a court of law all I need is proof of purchase. Bottom line is yes they legally own the domain, but it's by proxy. So If I am doing something illegal on my website that they technically own, then they could be held responsible for the content. No registrar in the world is going to save your ass if you're doing bad. They will turn your info over to the authorities in 3 seconds flat and deny all ownership!

Besides, that.. They are in business to make money. They are not in the business of stealing peoples money and domains, only governments do that. But if they did they would be out of business in a week. Yep, they own my domain and you know what? I don't worry about it because I'm not doing anything wrong, so I don't care.

Just out of curiosity. When you buy something off a seller on eBay or Amazon. Do you know where that person lives? Do you even know their real name? Chances are you don't. People look for reputation when making a purchase. Knowing an address and phone number doesn't guarantee or protect you from anything..

This new rule is all about politics. It has nothing to do with consumer protection, that's just how they sell it to you. They want our lives to be more and more open to them while their back room deals become more and more closed to us.. Just ask the people of Greece. To talk about this topic in any other context is completely missing the point.. You have been fooled..

Jack

[TI-994A]

I've never heard or mushrooming so I googled it and found nothing.

It's so sad that you've wasted all this time and effort.

The word mushrooming is simply an English verb, and not a technical term. I'd used it to describe the practice of duplicating content and mirroring sites for SEO. And they do affect SEO rankings

This mushrooming technique you are referring to I think has something to do with the number of pages that have hidden whois data.. Now if you have 1000 domain names and they are all hidden, then something fishy is going on. Simple logic.. If you have that many domains, then you are obviously a company.. If you are a company, you have a company address.. So if you have 1000 domain and they are all hidden, then yes google will downgrade your pages.

Incorrect.

Firstly, there is no such thing as hidden whois data. When SE crawlers find similar content in separate websites which are seemingly owned by the same registrant, it affects their rankings.

But that's not the topic here.. Read my original post. This is about anyone who owns even just one domain.. If you are some guy out in the Midwest with a single website, who is posting pictures of his sick and dying child and asking for donations to help with treatment and medical expenses. Under this rule, you could be considered a commercial website because you are asking for money. Your home address and phone number would be exposed to identity thieves and anyone else because of it.

That has no bearing on the points that I'd highlighted.

In a court of law all I need is proof of purchase. Bottom line is yes they legally own the domain, but it's by proxy. So If I am doing something illegal on my website that they technically own, then they could be held responsible for the content. No registrar in the world is going to save your ass if you're doing bad. They will turn your info over to the authorities in 3 seconds flat and deny all ownership!

Incorrect.

There are no such things as proof-of-purchase or ownership-by-proxy when it comes to domain name registrations. The legal owner is the registrant that appears in ICANN's database, and a full-on legal contract case has to be made in order to reclaim the domain name when disputes arise. Proxy services could even insert clauses granting them rights to sell or auction the domain name to reclaim losses or unpaid dues.

In turn, these proxy services can't simply point the finger of ownership without first establishing it in a court of law. If that weren't true, criminals would simply be pointing fingers left, right, and centre, claiming to being only owners by proxy.

Besides, that.. They are in business to make money. They are not in the business of stealing peoples money and domains, only governments do that. But if they did they would be out of business in a week. Yep, they own my domain and you know what? I don't worry about it because I'm not doing anything wrong, so I don't care.

Another irrelevant point; although, if they were to go out of business, your domain name would probably be sold-off by the receivers.

This new rule is all about politics. It has nothing to do with consumer protection, that's just how they sell it to you. They want our lives to be more and more open to them while their back room deals become more and more closed to us.

Sure it is.