Domain Registrar Breaks Price Barrier on Consumer Privacy Protection

Market Wire, August, 2005

Dotster, Inc., one of the world's largest ICANN-accredited domain registrars, today announced that it will continue to shield the e-mail addresses of all its domain registration customers from the ICANN-mandated public WHOIS database at no cost. In an effort to remove cost as a barrier to consumer privacy protection, Dotster also announced low standard pricing for concealed domain registrations.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires registrars to maintain a public database (dubbed "WHOIS") of all registered domains. This publicly accessible database displays the name, address, phone number and e-mail address of the individual or organization who has registered the domain.

Spammers, predatory marketers, and information brokers use the WHOIS database to gather domain owners' information without the owners' knowledge or permission. The abuse of the database was a primary reason for Dotster's actions according to George DeCarlo, vice president of marketing: "Shielding our domain owners' real e-mail addresses eliminates the risks of domain-related spam. Spam isn't just annoying -- it can lead to major problems for our customers. That risk is serious enough to warrant Dotster giving all of our customers our SpamShield service for free."

Customers who also wanted their name, address and phone number concealed in WHOIS have had to pay $8.95 per year or more to protect their identity. Dotster is offering complete WHOIS privacy for $2.99 per year, one-third the price of its major competitors. DeCarlo explains the pricing this way: "In an era when privacy is so critical, we need to make sure it's affordable. Dotster wants to make sure that cost isn't a barrier to consumer privacy protection."

ABOUT DOTSTER: With nearly three million Internet domains, Dotster, Inc. is one of the largest ICANN-accredited domain name registrars in the world. Launched in 2000, Dotster was among the first to offer long-term registrations and discounted pricing. Customers now turn to Dotster for its ability to deliver creative, marketable, and hard-to-find domain names through its proprietary NameSpin and NameWinner services. Dotster offers superior online account management tools and dedicated support from its customer care team in Washington state. The company's services include web hosting, DNS management, website development and marketing services, and partner programs. www.dotster.com

Contact: Stephanie Schoenborn E-mail: Email Contact 11807 NE 99th Street, Suite 1100 Vancouver, WA 98682 Phone (360) 253-2210 Fax (360) 253-4234