For a .com.au or other .au domain, you usually don’t need to pay for domain privacy. The .au WHOIS already hides your street address, phone number and expiry date, and your contact email appears only on the web lookup, behind a CAPTCHA. Privacy is more worth considering for .com and other global domains, though even there many registrars now hide personal details by default.
Key takeaways
- The .au WHOIS shows the registrant’s name, ABN or ACN, and contact name, but never the street address or phone number.
- You can use a business email such as domains@ as the registrant contact, rather than a personal one.
- For .com names, ICANN rules since August 2025 require personal details to be hidden where privacy law requires it.
- Before paying for privacy, check what your public record already shows.
What does the .au WHOIS show?
WHOIS is the public lookup that tells anyone who holds a domain. For .au names, auDA sets what appears (auDA):
| Shown | Not shown |
|---|---|
| Registrant (the business or person holding the licence) | Street address |
| Registrant ID and eligibility ID, such as an ABN or ACN | Phone and fax numbers |
| Registrant contact name and tech contact name | Creation, renewal and expiry dates |
| Registrant contact email (web lookup only) | Email in automated (Port 43 and RDAP) lookups |
| Registrar, reseller, nameservers and status | Tech contact email and phone |
auDA’s WHOIS Policy says the street address and phone numbers are withheld to comply with the Privacy Act. It also protects the email with a CAPTCHA and rate limits on the web lookup, and removes it from automated lookups (auDA WHOIS Policy, June 2026).
A WHOIS record belongs to the registered domain only. Read our explainer on what is a subdomain and you’ll see why addresses like shop.yourbusiness.com.au don’t have records of their own. WHOIS is also separate from DNS, which our guide to DNS records explained covers.
Why are expiry dates hidden?
Because they were misused. auDA’s policy says publishing creation and expiry dates let some operators send unsolicited renewal notices to people they had no relationship with, “causing significant levels of customer confusion”. In one case, the ACCC had two companies ordered to pay $1.95 million in penalties after they sent about 300,000 notices that looked like renewal invoices (ACCC).
So a “renewal” letter from a company you’ve never dealt with deserves suspicion. Check your expiry date with your own provider instead.
Do you need domain privacy for a .com.au?
Usually not. Most of what a privacy service hides on a .com is already hidden on a .au. What remains public is mostly business information you’d publish anyway, such as your company name and ABN.
The exception is a person registering in their own name, for example a .au direct name held as an individual. Their name is public, though the address and phone still aren’t. For individuals, auDA’s policy says the registrant ID field should be left blank and must never contain a personal ID number.
Three free ways to keep personal details off the record
- Use a role address. auDA says the contact email doesn’t have to be your personal address, only one where you can be reached. A domains@ or admin@ address works well and survives staff changes.
- Register in the business’s name. For a company, the registrant is the company, not you.
- Keep details current. Registrants must tell their provider about changes. Since May 2026, a lapsed ABN can also stop a renewal, as our .com.au renewal ABN check guide explains.
What about .com and other global domains?
Different rules apply. ICANN’s Registration Data Policy took effect on 21 August 2025. Where privacy law requires it, registrars and registries must hide the registrant’s name, street address, phone and email from public lookups. The registrar must offer an email address or web form that lets people make contact without revealing the owner’s details. An organisation name is published only if the registrant agrees (ICANN).
In practice, many .com records already show very little. Look up your own domain before you pay for anything extra.
When is paid domain privacy worth it?
It can make sense when:
- you hold a .com or similar in your personal name and your registrar still publishes your details
- you run a home-based business and don’t want your address linked to the domain
- you’re launching a product and want to keep the owner quiet for now.
It’s rarely worth it for a .com.au held by a company. Bear in mind that some registrars require privacy add-ons to be switched off before a domain can be transferred. If your details were caught up in a registrar data incident, our guide to whether to switch registrars after a data incident covers what to check.
How we handle domain privacy
We’d rather show you your record than sell you a feature you don’t need. Our domain and DNS management keeps the registrant and contact details correct, which is the part that protects your domain. You can register your domain with WMS or bring existing names across. If you’re moving hosting at the same time, free website migration comes with every hosting plan.
Frequently asked questions
Can anyone see my home address on a .com.au WHOIS?
No. auDA’s WHOIS Policy says the street address, phone and fax numbers of registrants are not disclosed, to comply with the Privacy Act. The public record shows names, business numbers and a contact email instead.
Is domain privacy allowed on .au domains?
auDA’s WHOIS Policy doesn’t offer a separate privacy setting, because it already hides addresses and phone numbers. The registrant must be the real licence holder, so a privacy service can’t replace that name. Ask your provider exactly what any paid add-on changes.
How do I look up who owns a .com.au domain?
Use auDA’s official WHOIS at whois.auda.org.au. Enter the domain and complete the CAPTCHA. You’ll see the registrant, their ABN or ACN where relevant, the contact name and email, and the registrar or reseller.
Why can’t I see my domain’s expiry date on WHOIS?
auDA stopped publishing creation and expiry dates because they were used to send misleading renewal notices. Check your expiry date through your own provider, or use the password recovery tool on auDA’s website.
Sources
- Using WHOIS, auDA
- WHOIS Policy (2025-11, version 1.2), auDA, June 2026
- Domain Name Corp and Domain Name Agency to pay $1.95 million in penalties, ACCC, June 2018
- Registration Data Policy, ICANN