WHOIS Privacy Risk Calculator

Calculator

Select what is visible today. The score estimates privacy exposure from WHOIS publication, archives, and linking behavior.

Domain (optional)

Used for your report and exports only.

TLD category

Policies vary by registry and location.

Registrant type

Individuals face higher doxxing risk.

WHOIS privacy enabled

Proxy privacy reduces direct contact exposure.

Registry-level redaction

Some registries publish more fields by default.

Domain age (years)

Older domains can have longer data persistence.

Public WHOIS fields visible

Registrant name

Email address

Phone number

Street address

Tip: run a public WHOIS lookup to confirm which fields are exposed.

Email alias or forwarder

Aliases reduce long-term inbox targeting.

Virtual phone (if phone is visible)

Prefer a number not tied to primary accounts.

PO box / virtual address (if address is visible)

Avoid using a home address for registrations.

Historic WHOIS records archived

Past data can remain searchable even after updates.

Linked to personal profiles

Cross-linking makes re-identification easier.

Website shows same contact info

Publishing the same info amplifies exposure.

Threat sensitivity

Higher sensitivity means stricter privacy needs.

Formula used

This calculator uses a weighted risk score, then clamps the result to a 0–100 range.

Exposure points add risk for visible contact fields, weak policies, archives, and identity linking.
Mitigation points reduce risk for privacy services, aliases, and safer contact substitutes.
Misconfiguration penalty applies when privacy is enabled but PII remains visible.

Rule summary	Points
WHOIS privacy disabled	+35
Email visible	+18
Address visible	+14
Phone visible	+12
Name visible	+8
Historic WHOIS records archived	+10
Linked to personal profiles	+8
Website repeats contact info	+8
Email alias/forwarder used	−8
Registry redaction applies	−6
Privacy enabled but PII visible	+10
Risk level bands	0–25 Low, 26–50 Moderate, 51–75 High, 76–100 Critical

How to use this calculator

Run a public WHOIS lookup and note which contact fields are visible.
Select your TLD category and whether registry redaction applies.
Set privacy status, then tick only the fields that truly appear.
Add context signals, like archives and links to personal profiles.
Press Submit to view the score, findings, and action checklist.
Download CSV or PDF to document changes after you update settings.

Example data table

Sample scenarios show how common WHOIS settings affect privacy risk.

Scenario	Privacy	Visible fields	Archive	Estimated score	Level
Personal blog domain	Disabled	Email, address, phone	Likely	82	Critical
Small business domain	Enabled	None	Unknown	18	Low
Portfolio with alias email	Enabled	Email	Unknown	41	Moderate
Long-held domain with history	Disabled	Name, email	Yes	73	High

Note

Scores are estimates based on your selections. Always verify exposure with a live WHOIS lookup and review your registrar and registry policies.

Risk drivers mapped to exposed fields

Visible WHOIS fields are the fastest risk multipliers in this model. Email exposure carries +18 points because it attracts spam, phishing, and account‑recovery probing. Address visibility adds +14 points due to doxxing and physical targeting. Phone exposure adds +12 points, reflecting SIM‑swap and social engineering routes. A visible name adds +8 points by improving searchability. If privacy is enabled but any field remains visible, a +10 misconfiguration penalty applies.

Policy and registry controls

Registry behavior can change what is published, even when a registrar offers privacy. When registry‑level redaction applies, the score is reduced by −6 points, reflecting fewer disclosed fields in directory outputs. If redaction does not apply, +6 points are added to represent default publication. TLD category captures policy variance: country‑code domains add +6, new gTLDs add +3, and restricted namespaces subtract −2.

Persistence and amplification signals

Time and repetition make privacy problems harder to reverse. Historic WHOIS archiving adds +10 points because older records may persist after updates. Domain age increases persistence in tiers: ≥5 years adds +4, ≥10 adds +8, and ≥15 adds +12. Identity linking is also modeled: connecting the domain to personal profiles adds +8, and publishing the same contact details on the site adds another +8.

Mitigation scorecard and prioritization

Mitigations lower direct contactability and break correlation. Keeping privacy enabled contributes −5 points compared with being disabled, which adds +35. An email alias or forwarder reduces risk by −8 points and is often the highest‑leverage quick fix. If a phone must be listed, using a virtual number reduces traceability by −5 points. If an address must be listed, a PO box or virtual address reduces exposure by −5 points. Combined controls can deliver a 15–25 point reduction.

Operational workflow and reporting

Use the calculator as a repeatable audit. Run a baseline score using a current public WHOIS lookup. Apply one control at a time and recalculate to measure impact. Export results to document changes after renewals, registrar moves, or policy shifts. Treat “High” and “Critical” as escalation triggers: remove exposed fields, rotate aliases, and recheck live output until the score stabilizes.

FAQs

1. What does the risk score represent?

It estimates how easily someone can identify or contact the registrant using public WHOIS fields, policy exposure, persistence signals, and linking behavior, then scales the result to 0–100 for comparison.

2. Why can privacy be enabled yet PII still appear?

Some registries publish fields by default, and some registrar settings only mask parts of the record. The calculator adds a misconfiguration penalty when privacy is on but any contact field remains visible.

3. How do I verify which fields are public?

Run a public WHOIS lookup from an independent source, capture the output, and tick only the fields you can actually see. Recheck after renewals or registrar changes, because templates and policies can shift.

4. Which change usually reduces score the most?

Disabling public contact fields is the biggest win. Enabling privacy and removing a visible email typically drops the score quickly; pairing that with an alias or forwarder provides additional reduction without changing your operational inbox.

5. Should organizations care as much as individuals?

Yes. Organizations often receive more phishing, invoice fraud, and impersonation attempts. Individual registrants face higher personal safety risks, but business domains can still be exploited to reach staff, vendors, and customers.

6. How often should I reassess WHOIS privacy risk?

Review at least quarterly and whenever you change registrar, DNS provider, or contact details. Reassess after incidents like spam spikes, credential alerts, or ownership transfers, because older records and cached outputs can reintroduce exposure.

These results are informational and should be verified with a live WHOIS lookup and your registrar’s published policies.