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Protected Handles

Your identity may already be protected.

Media.com has set aside recognizable handles for more than 70,000 public figures and 49,000 Organizations to help reduce impersonation and preserve trusted identities across the network.

If we’ve protected your name or brand, you can verify your connection and claim the handle for your Media.com profile.

Search your name or brand How protected handles work

Public figures

ActorProtected
AthleteProtected
AuthorProtected
CreatorProtected

Organizations

Global brandProtected
Sports teamProtected
UniversityProtected
Public institutionProtected

119,000+ recognizable identities protected

70,000+
Public figures
49,000+
Organizations
119,000+
Recognizable identities protected
One goal
A more authentic network

Protected before you arrive.

Public identities can take years to build. A name may represent a career, a body of work, a business, a team, an institution or a brand recognized by millions of people.

Media.com has proactively set aside many of these recognizable handles so they cannot simply be claimed through ordinary registration by an unrelated user.

When the appropriate person or organization joins Media.com, the identity people already recognize should still be available for review and allocation.

Protection spans public figures, brands, institutions and other recognizable identities around the world.

Public figures

Media.com has protected recognizable names across entertainment, sport, media, business and public life.

Celebrities · Athletes · Authors · Filmmakers · Journalists · Creators · Executives · Entrepreneurs · Public officials

Organizations

Media.com has protected recognizable brand and institutional identities across industries and communities.

Brands · Companies · Sports teams · Universities · Institutions · Media organizations · Nonprofits · Public bodies

Built to protect the value behind a name.

Individuals and organizations invest significant time, work and resources building identities that audiences recognize and trust.

Media.com believes a recognizable public identity should not automatically be handed to an unrelated registrant simply because they reached the registration page first.

Publicly identifiable
Help audiences find the person or organization they intend to reach.
Less room for impersonation
Reduce the opportunity for unrelated users to present themselves through a recognizable protected identity.
A more authentic network
Support an environment where identity, verification and public presence are deliberately connected.

The names people recognize deserve thoughtful allocation to protect their identity and the integrity of the Media.com network.

Why Media.com protects recognizable handles

Preserve recognizable identities
Keep important names available for appropriate review rather than ordinary first-come registration.
Reduce impersonation
Make it harder for unrelated users to establish misleading identities using recognizable names.
Allocate with context
Consider identity, verification, name overlap and other legitimate claims before activation.

Protection within Media.com. Protected Handle status governs allocation within Media.com. It does not create trademark or ownership rights outside the platform.

Claiming a protected handle

If Media.com has protected a name associated with you or your organization, claiming it is straightforward.

  1. Tell us who the handle represents

    Start a claim for yourself or an organization you’re authorized to represent.

  2. Verify the identity

    Confirm the person or organization through VERIFIED.

  3. Media.com reviews the claim

    We assess the connection to the protected identity and any relevant competing claims.

  4. Activate the handle

    If approved, the handle can become the profile’s active Media.com address.

Choose your review timing

Standard Review Free Target review within 10–15 business days Priority Review US$299 Target review within 2 business days Includes $100 Media.com credit

The same eligibility and allocation standards apply to both options. Priority Review changes timing, not the likelihood of approval.

Clear claims do not wait unnecessarily.

Review times are targets, not minimum waiting periods. Straightforward claims may be completed sooner, while shared, complex or conflicting identities can require additional review. Review timing begins once required verification and claim information are complete; you choose your review when you start a claim.

Verification gives identity context

VERIFIED confirms who is making the claim. For an organization, Media.com may also confirm the organization and the representative’s authority to act.

Individual

  • Identity verified

Organization

  • Organization verified
  • Representative verified
  • Authority confirmed

Verification confirms the claimant. Media.com reviews handle allocation separately.

What does Media.com consider when reviewing a claim?

Individual

  • Verified identity
  • Established use of the name
  • Professional or public identity
  • Other legitimate people with the same name
  • Competing Media.com claims

Organization

  • Verified Organization
  • Official domain
  • Trading or brand name
  • Authorized representative
  • Existing legitimate use
  • Conflicting Organizations or claims

Protection still leaves room for people who share a name.

Many people legitimately have the same name. Protecting one identity does not give someone exclusive rights to every handle that contains it.

  • John Smith@johnsmith
  • John Smith@johnsmithlaw
  • John Smith@johnpsmith

Each can represent a legitimate, identifiable person.

Protected
Reserved from ordinary registration and requires a claim.
Review required
May have more than one legitimate use and requires review before allocation.

Once approved, the identity is yours to activate on Media.com.

The approved handle becomes available for the verified profile or organization.

One profile. One active handle.

If the profile already has a handle, activating the approved one replaces it. Previous handles may be held temporarily before becoming available again, subject to Media.com’s protection rules.

Claim approved

@avenor

Ready to activate

media.com/avenor

Illustrative example. Avenor is fictional.

Protect the names around your identity.

A Protected Handle secures the path to your primary Media.com identity. Namespace Protection lets you extend that protection to additional approved names and handle variations associated with you or your organization.

Media.com’s protected identity registry provides the foundation. Namespace Protection gives verified users ongoing control over the wider identity space around them.

For individuals

Identity Protection

For individuals who want to protect additional versions of their personal, professional or public identity.

Explore Identity Protection

For Organizations

Brand Protection

For Organizations protecting brand names, products, variations and other approved identities.

Explore Brand Protection

Protected Handle

Establish your primary protected Media.com identity.

Standard claim review is free.

Namespace Protection

Protect additional approved names and variations around that identity.

Annual protection subscription.

Both still result in one active handle per profile.

Protected Handles and licensed handles serve different purposes

Protected Handles are reserved because of identity and impersonation considerations.

Handle Licensing provides active use of eligible Select, Premium or Signature Media.com addresses.

A legitimate claimant of a platform-protected primary identity is not required to purchase a Premium Handle License simply because the name would otherwise be commercially valuable.

Frequently asked questions

Why did Media.com protect my name?

Because a recognizable identity should not go to an unrelated person simply because they registered first. Protection keeps the name available for review so the appropriate person or organization can claim it.

Who has Media.com protected?

Recognizable public figures and organizations: more than 70,000 public figures and 49,000 Organizations so far, across culture, sport, media, business, public life, education, government and other fields. Media.com does not publish the list itself.

How do I claim a Protected Handle?

Search the name, choose Claim this handle, verify yourself (and, for an organization, the organization and your authority to act) through VERIFIED, and Media.com reviews the claim. If it is approved you can activate the handle.

Is claiming a Protected Handle free?

Yes. Standard Review is free. Priority Review is available for US$299 if timing matters.

How quickly are claims reviewed?

Standard Review has a target of 10–15 business days and Priority Review a target of 2 business days. These are targets, not minimum waits: straightforward claims may be completed sooner, and shared or conflicting identities can take longer. Priority Review changes timing, not the likelihood of approval.

What if other people share my name?

Media.com considers legitimate name overlap. Protecting one identity does not stop another person with the same name from establishing a distinct Media.com identity.

Does a Protected Handle create legal ownership?

No. Protected Handle status governs allocation within Media.com. It does not create trademark or ownership rights outside the platform.

How is Namespace Protection different?

A Protected Handle Claim concerns one protected primary handle and Standard Review is free. Namespace Protection is an annual subscription that protects additional approved names and variations around an identity or brand.

More about handles

Protected and Premium Handles. A Protected Handle is reserved because of identity or impersonation considerations. A Premium Handle is a commercially licensed Media.com address.

Reservations. Premium Handle Reservations apply to eligible commercial handles. Protected Handles cannot be reserved; they are claimed and reviewed.

Help with Protected Handles

Protected HandlesWhy some names are protected and what it means. Claiming a Protected HandleStep by step, for yourself or an organization. Standard and Priority ReviewReview targets, pricing and the included Media.com credit. Claim decisions and reconsiderationApproval, activation, and what to do if a claim isn’t approved. Shared namesWhen more than one person or organization has the same name. Reporting impersonationIf someone is using your name on Media.com.

Already claimed? See your claims in Settings → Handles · Contact Support

See whether your identity is protected.

Search your name, brand or organization to see its current Media.com handle status.

Explore Namespace Protection