Domain names in the public domain

There aren’t enough registered domains to go round for every person on the planet, but we’re certainly getting close. At the latest estimation, the number of WHOIS records for domains ever recorded has passed 5 billion. That’s one domain for every single person living in China, India, US, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, Mexico, Japan, Ethiopia, Philippines, Egypt, and Vietnam combined.

Domain names are the foundations on which the Internet was built. In 1985, there were just six of them in the entire world, the first one being Massachusetts-based Symbolics.com.

Apparently, a data lake of 5 billion top-level domains (TLDs) might seem like a wasteland, but for entrepreneurs, domain flippers, private detectives and members of law enforcement, the uses of WHOIS database download are legion.

Of those 5 billion historical registered domains, about 300 million are currently active, comprised of nearly 3,000 TLDs and country code (cc) TLDs.

For entrepreneurs, the WHOIS database downloads offers unparalleled analytics in terms of:

• Registration dates
• Expiration dates
• Similar TLDs
• Duplicate TLDs
• Copycat TLDs

Not only are these valuable tools for finding the perfect fit for your emerging or established business, but they are critical for marketing purposes and brand protection. If you are in the process of acquiring a domain, a website like Domain Name Stat can act as your guide for checking the domain name’s history and information on the registrant. Consider it your equivalent of a service like Carfax for domains, giving you extra insight into where the domain has been and who has owned it.

However, WHOIS database downloads are not limited to entrepreneurs and domain traders. When law enforcement or private investigators look into unlawful online activities, being able to piece together the strands connecting IP addresses, websites, and domains is invaluable to investigations and eventual prosecutions.