What is the difference between public and private WHOIS information?

The difference between public and private WHOIS information lies in the accessibility and visibility of the data contained within WHOIS records:

1. **Public WHOIS Information**:
   - Public WHOIS information refers to the data that is openly accessible to anyone via WHOIS lookup tools or domain registrar websites.
   - This information typically includes details such as the domain owner's name, organization (if applicable), email address, physical address, phone number, registration and expiration dates, domain registrar, and domain name servers (DNS).
   - Public WHOIS information is traditionally available for most domain registrations, especially for generic top-level domains (gTLDs) like .com, .net, .org, and others.

2. **Private WHOIS Information**:
   - Private WHOIS information, also known as WHOIS privacy protection or WHOIS masking, refers to the practice of concealing certain personal details from public view in WHOIS records.
   - Instead of displaying the domain owner's actual contact information, private WHOIS services replace it with proxy or placeholder details provided by the registrar or a third-party privacy service.
   - Private WHOIS services typically mask or obfuscate the domain owner's name, email address, physical address, and phone number, while still providing essential administrative and technical contact details.
   - The use of private WHOIS services helps protect the privacy and security of domain owners by reducing the risk of spam, unsolicited communication, identity theft, stalking, and other privacy violations.

In summary, public WHOIS information is openly accessible and contains detailed contact information for domain owners, while private WHOIS information involves masking or concealing certain personal details to protect the privacy of domain owners.