Privacy respecting registrars
Bonjourno! I got a couple of domain names to register and I wanted to switch providers from google. I checked out a couple of the bigger ones like Cloudflare and Infomaniak but they're all asking me to upload a government photo id for security or whatever... I figured I'd ask around here to see what yall are using. I dont need anything crazy, mostly just the registration part. Bonus points for hosting dns with an api to manage records & what not but that part isnt necessary.
EDIT: Thanks for the suggestions! I really appreciate yall; This is why I love Lemmy. I ended up going with njalla. They got me when I read tgis on their about page:
Other organisations will brag about which customers they have. We brag about not telling who our customers are.
27 replies
Cloudflare makes you upload ID?
That must be a regional thing. I run Cloudflare Tunnels/Zero Trust and I didn't have to provide any ID. Scanning down through the thread, it seems hit or miss as to whether companies require ID or not.
Yeah, this is the first I've heard of it
Fucking crazy, right???
I use PorkBun. I didn’t have to upload any id, but I pay with a credit card so they do have my name and whatnot. They have a pretty decent API to manage whatever you need.
If you’re in the U.S. you can use Privacy.com. No need to ever give name, address, or real credit card info ever again. It’s pretty nice.
Who is behind it and how do you know they are trustworthy? I wasn't able to find much info but it seems it's just some company (not a non profit / charity or anything). I know they have paid plans but it seems they also have an incentive or at least an ability to sell your purchase data?
No clue, but trusting one company with your info, rather than every company reduces your attack vector massively. My name, address, credit card info don’t have x chances of getting stolen or sold, but only 1.
Yeah I guess so, but every site seems to be a Shop App now so it's hardly more than one company anyway 😅
I set up a business site recently and I accept payments through both stripe and PayPal but the payment form looks exactly like shop’s so I wonder if people are just using a standard form or something.
Ah I just assumed because they all look the same, but maybe you're right!
I thought the exact same thing as you until I loaded my cart page and saw it and got confused lol.
I hear that new porkbun accouts might need to submit ID so thank goodness I made an account before that
njalla. Privacy is their point and they have a simple to use api.
+1 for njalla, they are privacy minded
I've heard they shut down domains for no reason and without appeal process.
I'm using NameCheap. I don't recall them ever asking me to provide ID. They do have an api (didn't know that till now) though I'm tired enough at the moment that I can't make much sense of their documentation.
https://www.namecheap.com/support/api/methods/domains-dns/set-hosts/
It sounds like you're looking for noKYC(know your customer) providers. I can't suggest this registrar, as I"ve never used them but they go to some good lengths to explain the process, pros and cons.
https://monstermegs.com/blog/no-kyc-domain-registration-guide/
I had the same choosing problem some years ago, but with VPS. Some of them are really private, hosting in e.g. Moldova, but you cannot really trust them, others will never ask your ID, but you have to pay with your credit card and somehow put a real name and address. The same applucable for domain sellers. You decide where you balance: you trust them completely and they don't care who you are or you choose where to give up complete privacy. I use Namecheap and Spaceship (basically the same, but cheaper).
Namecheap gives you private registration by default.
I used porkbun, and never had to upload an ID (but I am in USA). IIRC still need to provide an address, but they mask WHOIS.
I tried signing up. Porkbun asked me to upload a photo ID before they would make an account for me (UK). Noped out of there.
Maybe that's specific to UK? I've never had to upload ID at any of the general domain registrars but am not in the UK. Maybe you're looking for a registrar that doesn't do that for UK residents, specifically. (or you might need to use a VPN or something, dunno)
Privacy aside most people tend to buy a domain at the cheapest registrar (keeping in mind whether to renew at that registrar later or transfer out to a new one when the time comes). There are domain registrar sites people use for comparison, been a bit since I've needed to shop around but sites like https://tld-list.com/ can be helpful. You could try doing a lookup there and work your way down the list until you find one you like.
Or if you're really set on looking for a service that actually advertises no KYC then looking through this list may help https://kycnot.me/?categories=domains (njalla is one of the listed ones there as someone else mentioned).
I live in the US and they asked me for id when I tried to sign up a couple months ago
Can you use a dummy address or a friend's address in another country and/or sign up via a VPN to mask your location? There are companies that will open and scan your mail and make it available online so it could be a real address. But they are a little pricey. It's likely due to UK laws not the provider themselves, so probably all reputable providers (that follow the law) may require it.
Yeah, I thought the same thing. That's when they asked me for the photo id....
Nope, if I have to upload an ID, that's a dealbreaker.