If you’re planning to start a website, there’s more to consider than themes and fonts. Just like home security, website security is paramount. You never want to see all your hard work soiled by the hands of an amateur hacker.

Once your domain is settled, it’s time to consider domain privacy. This will prevent those amateur hackers from accessing your personal information. Nowadays, anyone can hop online and search for registered domains.

If your personal information isn’t protected, a lot more than your domain name can be revealed. The five risks we’ve outlined below aren’t meant to scare you but, rather, allow you to armor up and run a highly successful business.

1. Personal Data Being Exposed

This is, without question, the biggest risk you run without domain privacy protection. Anything from your email address, to your phone number, to your mailing address can be exposed.

We don’t need to tell you how awful this can be if you don’t want anyone having your mailing address, especially if it’s your home address.

As for your email address, that revelation can be more of a hassle. Being spammed on the regular is, of course, less than ideal, especially if you enjoy the feel of a clean inbox.

2. Website Being Hacked

Without domain privacy, someone can tap into your website and do far worse things than scanning the administrative side of things.

A knowledgeable hacker can actually conduct a domain transfer. This would shift your site into their name without your consent, removing control from your hands.

3. Personal Data Being Exposed

Let’s return to the basic nuisance of being spammed and the major safety concern of your home address being exposed. Once your personal information falls into the wrong hands, anything can happen.

In addition to a general creep having your personal information, that same bad guy can sell your information to someone far worse. This can increase the amount of spam you receive exponentially and, again, leave you in danger of strangers having your home address.

4. Competitors Knowing Too Much

If you’re beginning a small business, you’ll probably be free from the perils of corporate espionage. But, hey, you never know.

If your site is lacking privacy protection, there’s a chance your competitor can step behind the curtain and peruse the backend of your site, including new business developments.

5. An Inability to Hide

If you’re wondering about using a fake address as a layer of protection, it won’t work. There’s nowhere to hide. Strict regulations have been put in place to prevent people from using fake addresses.

If you roll the dice on this move and are found out, the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) can shut your website down and ruin all your hard work.

Invest In Domain Privacy

Here at Donklephant, we love living our lives on the Internet – securely. In our opinion, domain privacy is worth the small investment. And, by small investment, we mean a couple of dollars per year. That’s worth every last penny.

As you continue to develop your new business in this digital age, we hope you’ll continue to come on over and visit our site. We’ve got everything you need to know from basic marketing tactics to data protection to app development.

Good luck out there in the digital sea! We wish you tremendous success, safe from the harm of hackers.