Starting from today the .uk registry Nominet are no longer showing registrant name and contact details as default in the Whois.
Previously they allowed individuals to opt out from showing their details but it was mandatory for businesses and other organisations. Now all registrant contact details are hidden by default unless a registrant explicitly requests that their details are shown in the whois database.
I've tried searches at several of the large tag holders and I'm yet to see a registrant name showing for any domain as yet.
Clearly a GDRP inspired process put in place by Nominet but this seems like a retrograde step in my opinion. It was always very useful checking the legitimacy of a site by looking at the Whois, now any wannabe scammer is going to gravitate towards .uk so they can stay anonymous.
Not to mention the additional workload that will inevitably be placed on tag holders when members of the public field requests to the tag holder for registrant information, etc.
Not impressed!