An internet-related research question for tech-savvy DUers

[smoogatz]

I'm working on a novel that involves a certain amount of internet-related skullduggery. My question for DU today is this: I believe there's a way to look up the name and contact info for owners of domain names. If I registered a website called smoogatz.com, say, pretty much any interested party with the know-how could find out who registered and paid for the site. Is that correct? If so, could someone walk me through the look-up process?

Thanks very much in advance to all who can help.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. It's very hard these days.

There are companies who will register a name for you but keep your name and contact registration "firewalled" and anonymous. A lot of sites of questionable provenance hide this way.

[NJmaverick]

3. It's also a good idea for any DUers that run their own website

otherwise they may find some morally depraved right wingnut posting your personal information all over the web.

[notadmblnd]

2. Whois

http://whois.domaintools.com/

[smoogatz]

4. Cool. How does it work?

I looked up a website (mine) and didn't get much info. Do you have to pay to get a report?

[notadmblnd]

6. click on the link, type in the URL or IP address and click search

then read the page that opens up. It's pretty simple.

[smoogatz]

7. I tried my website and nothing much came up.

IP address and location of the server, but that was about it. Is that because I went through godaddy? The proxy gets listed, but not the person who paid them?

[Nicole]

5. This works for me, most of the time

http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp

It won't work if they registered with a proxy like mentioned above..

I have my website registered with godaddy.com because I don't want my personal info available to anyone who does a search.

[smoogatz]

8. Okay--

Thanks. If you didn't use a proxy, what would you do--say you weren't that computer savvy and didn't know you could be looked up easily. How else do you get a domain, if not through a proxy?

[Nicole]

9. My web host did it for me

It was part of a package deal I bought.

I'm sure you can google for domain register services. The link I provided above is one of them.

[smoogatz]

10. Thanks! n/t