The actual value, from a security standpoint, of using a proxy domain registrar?

[shrdlu at deaddrop.org (Etaoin Shrdlu)]

Mike Lyon wrote:

> Howdy,
> 
> I am curious what others in the industry think on this topic. When one
> registers a domain they can put in their real information or they can use a
> proxy, like Go-Daddy's Domains By Proxy.
> 
> Now, personally, I would prefer just to get a PO Box and put that address on
> my domain info instead of doing a proxy. I could also put down a phone
> number in the registration that just goes to my general business phone line
> which is just a DVR.

[snip]

> What's the difference between using a proxy vs using a PO Box except that a
> PO Box is cheaper?

As others have already said, it doesn't really provide any security. In 
addition, it makes the company doing it appear amateurish. One expects 
professional behavior from a company. There are certainly reasons one 
might choose to obscure the ownership of a domain, but none of them are 
sound business reasons.

For the sake of your management, pick a few domains at random, do a 
whois on them, and print them out, as examples of grown up companies (I 
chose lockheed.com, microsoft,com, google.com, and revlon.com myself).

> I'd just like to get thoughts from others to see what the general feeling is
> on this topic.

Just tell them no, in the most diplomatic way possible (lucky for them 
it's you and not me, since I am not always so diplomatic as I ought to be).

As a quick aside, I did see someone advise you that you could use the 
fedgov do not call list for your phone, but if it's a business phone, 
you cannot.

-- 
I tried being reasonable once. I didn't like it.
Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't teach eight cats to pull a sled.
Stupid is doing the same thing over and over and expecting
different results.