What WHOIS data contains
When someone registers a domain name, they are required to provide contact details to the domain registrar. These details are stored in the WHOIS database and are publicly accessible. A typical WHOIS record contains:
- Registrant name - the name of the person or business that registered the domain
- Organisation name - the company name if a business registration
- Email address - the contact email for the registrant
- Phone number - the registrant contact number
- Country, state and city - the registrant location
- Registration date - when the domain was first registered
- Expiry date - when the registration expires
- Registrar name - which company the domain was registered through
Public WHOIS vs privacy-protected WHOIS
Not all WHOIS records contain real contact details. There are two types:
Public WHOIS records
Public records contain the actual registrant details - real name, real email, real phone number. These represent businesses that have not opted to hide their registration information and are the foundation of new business intelligence.
Privacy-protected WHOIS records
Privacy-protected records replace the registrant details with proxy contact information provided by the registrar. The real owner's details are hidden. Responsible B2B platforms filter out privacy-protected records entirely at the point of data ingestion.
Privacy-protected registrations are filtered at ingestion and never reach the platform. Every contact shown on FirstMark Data has publicly filed their information voluntarily at the point of domain registration.
Why WHOIS data matters for B2B teams
WHOIS data is uniquely valuable because it captures business intent at the moment it forms. When someone registers a domain, they are signalling that they are building something. For B2B service providers, this moment is critical - a newly registered domain means a business that has never received a competitor's outreach email, a founder actively making vendor decisions, and a genuine first-mover opportunity that closes within weeks.
Web designers, marketing agencies, accountants, SaaS companies and freelancers who sell to new businesses all benefit from monitoring WHOIS data daily.
WHOIS data and data protection law
Using WHOIS data for legitimate B2B outreach is legal in most jurisdictions. The data is publicly filed by the registrant. Key considerations include:
- GDPR (Europe) - European WHOIS data is heavily restricted. Most EU domain registrations now use privacy protection. Responsible platforms filter European registrations.
- Legitimate interest - B2B outreach to business contacts can qualify as legitimate interest under GDPR, provided it is relevant and the recipient can easily opt out.
- Privacy-protected records - these should never be used for outreach under any circumstances.
Only contact registrants whose details are publicly filed. Never attempt to bypass privacy protection services. Always include a clear unsubscribe mechanism in outreach.
How to access WHOIS data
There are several ways to access WHOIS data depending on your use case:
- ICANN WHOIS lookup - free manual lookup of individual domains at lookup.icann.org
- WHOIS API providers - bulk access via API for developers building their own tools
- New business intelligence platforms - services like FirstMark Data that clean, filter and surface WHOIS data daily so B2B teams can act on it without any technical setup
WHOIS data vs established B2B databases
Most B2B databases like Apollo or ZoomInfo contain information about businesses that have existed for months or years. By the time a company appears in those databases, their inbox is already full of competitor outreach. WHOIS data from newly registered domains surfaces businesses that launched days ago - businesses that have never been contacted by a single vendor.