I've found a popular misspelling of a high-traffic foreign government website has been unregistered. I'd like to register the domain and then publish some data about this government's atrocities. (Would open up an account anonymously with a free webhost to publish the webpages.) However, I was wondering if I even paid extra to hide my info. in the WhoIs, is it possible for this government secret services to trace the owner? Can they hack into the registrar's site (or have insiders who collude with them) and get someone's info.? Would rather not register if even 1% chance they can trace owner, because this government's secret services are among the nastiest in the world and regularly cause serious harm to people even outside their own country. Every other misspelling of this government's websites have been registered, but they are just parked PPC landing pages.
Of course someone can find out who you are if they want to badly enough. They could get your IP from the registrar that you registered it through, then get your personal info from your ISP based on your IP, etc...
I thought so. I would register domain and create/update website only from Internet Cafes without visiting any of my own websites at the same time. Could also use false registrant data for the domain. Only one obstacle is paying for the domain name... can trace owner through creditcard, Paypal and every other method I can think of. Ideas?
So even though I registered dumbass-bush.com as private they know? Yes, I did register that, and yes they can find out. Every registrar is still required to give up the information to ICANN so it wouldn't be too long of a hunt for the government. If they can use the Patriot Act to data mine library records .... Phone calls can be tapped without warrant ....
There have been several instances in which registrars divulged the identities of customers who registered "private domains." The most famous case involved Foetry.com. Interesting reading.
Ever wonder what is the deal with "private" registration? It is just an attempt to make loads of money out of nothing. Registrars are asking $10 for just sticking their own address and email to the registration?! People (read those up on the food chain) that seriously want the whois data have ways to get. If you just want to hide the whois information, just get a proxy to register it. Only thing is if you trust the proxy not to run away with your domain. You guys think there will be a demand if someone setup such a "private domain registration" proxy?
They could find out who spit on the sidewalk last week...so finding out who registered a domain wouldn't be that difficult.
What's the big deal anyway? Just register the domain as you would any other domain and park it, without all this cloak and dagger shit. If they take it off you for typo-squatting, they take it off you. No big deal. Unless of course, you are planning to get up to no good with the domain by going against that country's national interests, in which case you are a fool or an idiot or both. What country is it that has the nastiest secret service anyway?