Privacy Policy

Summary

• W.is has no accounts. You never need to give us your name or email to use it.
• When you run a lookup, our servers query the relevant domain registry or registrar for you. Those operators see our request, not your IP address.
• Your personal search history is stored only in your own browser. We do not keep a per-visitor search history on our servers.
• Domain names from successful lookups may appear, without any information about who searched for them, in a public “recently searched domains” list.
• We use a privacy-focused analytics service. W.is does not currently show ads or set advertising cookies. We do not sell your personal information.

Who we are

W.is (W.is RDAP Whois Lookup, w.is) is a free tool for looking up the public registration data of domain names. In this policy, “W.is”, “we” and “us” refer to the operator of the site. You can reach us at hi#w.is (replace # with @). More about the service is on the About page.

Information we collect

Lookup queries

When you search, the text you enter — normally a domain name — is sent to our server as part of the page address (for example w.is/example.com) so that we can perform the lookup and show the result.

Technical and log data

Like almost every website, our servers and hosting infrastructure automatically receive and may log standard request information: your IP address, browser user agent, the page requested (which includes your lookup query), the referring page and the date and time. Our application also logs the queries it processes and any errors, so we can keep the service running, fix problems and detect abuse such as automated bulk querying.

Information you send us

If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you choose to include in your message, and we use it only to reply and to follow up on your request.

We do not ask for, and do not knowingly collect, sensitive personal information.

How lookups are processed

To answer a query, our server contacts the authoritative source for that domain. The query itself — not your IP address or any other information about you — is sent to:

• Domain registries, through their RDAP servers (see the RDAP server list) or, where RDAP is unavailable or incomplete, their WHOIS servers (see the WHOIS server list). A WHOIS lookup can also follow a referral to another WHOIS server, such as one run by a registrar.
• A proxy network provider, for WHOIS queries to a small number of registries that block servers making frequent queries. The provider relays the query to the registry's WHOIS server.
• Our domain pricing service (api.w.is). It receives just the domain name, so we can show registration and renewal price hints on the result page.

We also periodically download IANA's public RDAP bootstrap file for domain names from data.iana.org; these requests contain no information about you.

W.is does not maintain a database of lookup results, and results are not cached: each lookup is fetched live from the source.

Registration data shown on W.is

The results W.is displays are registration data published by domain registries and registrars through RDAP and WHOIS. Depending on the registry and its policies, this data can include the name, organization, country, email address or phone number of a registrant or other contact. W.is does not create or edit this data, does not combine it into profiles, and shows it as it is returned by the source at the time of your lookup.

If you are a domain holder and want to change or hide the data published about you, please contact your registrar: most offer privacy or proxy services, and many registries already redact personal data. Because W.is queries the source for every new lookup, changes made at the registry show up on W.is too. Our guide to finding a domain owner explains what is usually published and what is redacted.

Recently searched domains

When a domain lookup succeeds, the domain name (for example example.com) may be added to a list of recently searched domains, and entries from that list may be shown on our home page to help other visitors discover the tool. The list stores only the domain name — no IP address, timestamp or other information about who searched for it. It holds at most the 1,000 most recent entries; older entries drop off as new ones are added. Failed lookups and names reported as reserved or unavailable are not added. If an entry on the list concerns you, contact us and we will remove it.

Cookies and local storage

W.is itself does not use cookies to identify or track you. It uses your browser's local storage, which stays on your device, for two conveniences:

• Search history (history): your most recent searches, so you can repeat them from the home page. It is never sent to our servers. You can remove entries with the delete option on the home page or by clearing this site's data in your browser.
• Theme (theme): whether you prefer the light, dark or system color scheme.

No advertising cookies are set at present; see the Advertising section below.

Analytics

We use a lightweight, privacy-focused analytics script served from stat.re (compatible with Plausible Analytics) to understand how the site is used — for example which pages are visited, which sites refer visitors, and the browser, operating system, device type and country of visits. The script is designed to work without cookies and to report aggregated statistics; we use it to improve W.is, not to identify individual visitors. Note that the page address of a lookup contains the query you searched for.

Advertising

W.is does not currently show ads. No advertising scripts run on the site and no advertising cookies are set. We publish an ads.txt file, which lists the sellers authorized to sell ad space on W.is, so that it is in place if we show ads in the future.

If we add advertising later, for example Google AdSense, we will update this policy before ads appear and, where the law requires it, ask for your consent before any advertising cookies are set.

Third-party services

Some parts of our pages are loaded directly by your browser from other servers. As with any web request, those servers receive your IP address and browser information:

• favicon.is — icons for the links to our sister sites in the navigation bar.
• imgc.cc — banner images.
• stat.re — the analytics script described above.

W.is also links to external websites, including registrars, registries, ICANN and our sister products such as IP.im, DNS.is and TLDhub.com. Those sites are governed by their own privacy policies.

How we use and share information

We use the information described above to:

• perform the lookups you request and display the results;
• operate, maintain and improve the service;
• protect the service and the registries we query from abuse, overload and attacks;
• understand overall usage through aggregated analytics; and
• respond to your messages and meet our legal obligations.

Where data protection law such as the GDPR applies, we rely on our legitimate interests in providing a secure, working service for the processing described in this policy.

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only as described in this policy: with the lookup sources listed above (the query only), with service providers that help us host and run the site, with our analytics provider as described, and when required by law or to protect the rights, safety and security of W.is, its users or others.

Data retention

• Search history and theme stay in your browser until you delete them.
• The recently searched domains list keeps at most the 1,000 most recent domain names.
• Server and application logs are kept only as long as needed to run and secure the service, and are then deleted or overwritten.
• Emails are kept as long as needed to handle your request.

Security

W.is is served over HTTPS, and we take reasonable measures to protect the information we handle. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live — for example in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or California — you may have the right to:

• know what personal information we hold about you and receive a copy of it;
• have inaccurate information corrected;
• have your personal information deleted;
• object to or restrict certain processing, and withdraw consent you have given; and
• not be treated differently for exercising these rights, and lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

To make a request, email us at hi#w.is (replace # with @). Because W.is has no accounts, we usually hold very little that can be linked to you — often only an IP address in short-lived logs — so we may ask for details that help us find the relevant information. You can also act directly: clear this site's data in your browser to remove your search history and theme setting.

Children

W.is is a technical tool that is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when the service or the law changes. We will post the new version on this page and update the effective date at the top. Please check back from time to time.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data? Email hi#w.is (replace # with @). See also our Terms of Service.