Google Launches Free DNS Service: What It All Means

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Google launched their public DNS product this week allowing each computer user to reconfigure their internet settings and begin using the free service.

Every internet connection relies on a DNS server to resolve domain names into an ip address.

Generally this service is provided free of charge by your internet provider.

In the past there have been many cases where software installs and viruses will reconfigure a user’s internet settings and set their computers to use a malicious set of DNS servers. After doing so the person can be falsely redirected to another site any time a domain is entered.

Many Internet Service Providers (ISP) display paid search results when a user types a domain name that doesn’t exist, and actually is common practice for many  of the larger ISP’s.

On Tuesday, ICANN issued a statement condemning this practice, going as far to say it could harm the internet and cited other privacy concerns.

The draft agreement for owners of new gTLDs would ban DNS hijacking like this at the registry level.

So whats in this for Google?

First in handling millions of DNS requests a day, Google would get an accurate visitor count for each website.

Google could then adjust its search results and rankings based on a site’s popularity or at least take that into account as one of the factors in ranking sites.

Its will also increase Google search market share,  since some of the ISPs who resolve inactive domains to paid search pages, do so with competitor’s feeds.

Google will not be taking this traffic and putting it to its own PPC ads, so non-resolving pages will just not resolve, but it will take that traffic currently going from other ISP to its competitors basically away from them if people change their settings.

For the users, Google says the new service is more accurate and faster than other DNS servers.

Google says they have developed a huge cache of popular domains which are continuously refreshed. So Whenever you go to one of those sites, Google will display the site a lot faster than your regular ISP does.

While fractions of a second may not seem like a big advantage, for someone who goes to hundreds of sites daily this could be significant enough to make the change worthwhile.

However, at least one initial benchmark test is reporting a slight increases in speed using Google DNS, so lets say the jury is out on the speed issue.

Finally I know some of your will be concerned about privacy issues and giving Google your surfing habits.

Google says that its Public DNS service will only keep your IP address for 48 hours and then delete it.

For more information about Google’s Public DNS service and instructions on how to update your settings click here

About Michael Berkens

Michael Berkens, Esq. is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheDomains.com. Michael is also the co-founder of Worldwide Media Inc. which sold around 70K domain to Godaddy.com in December 2015 and now owns around 8K domain names . Michael was also one of the 5 Judges selected for the the Verisign 30th Anniversary .Com contest.

Comments

  1. Anil says

    I think this is one more effort of google monopoly business for ads.. This is the way of doing business of google, but it seem to be dangerous for internet community to depend on a single company for all there online habits…

  3. Domain Investor says

    When I initially read the announcement, I thought –

    “Do I really want to (eventually) depend on Google for my internet access?”
    (I realize I can go back into my computer and change the dns numbers.)

    “Do I really want Google to know more about me?”

    “Will they eventually use it to help me surf (steer me) thru he internet?”

    My brain kept hearing from Google – “Trust me.”
    Right !!!

  6. JL says

    ICANN did ***not*** condemn the practice of DNS redirect by ISPs. They condemned this practice by TLD operators and Registry operators. One key reason is that Internet users have no relationship with these organizations, and therefore no way to opt-out or switch to another operator (unlike with an ISP).

    Their report is entitled:
    Harms and Concerns Posed by NXDOMAIN Substitution (DNS Wildcard and Similar Technologies) at Registry Level

    Note it says “…at Registry Level”

    Here is their news release with my emphasis in CAPS:

    This explanatory memorandum [PDF, 227K] describes the harms and concerns posed by NXDOMAIN substitution (commonly implemented by the use of DNS wildcard) AT THE REGISTRY LEVEL. The paper is a collection of the findings published by experts on the subject.

    On 10 June 2009, the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) published an advisory stating that the redirection and synthesizing of DNS responses (e.g., DNS wildcard) BY TLDS poses a clear and significant danger to the security and stability of the Domain Name System.

    At its public meeting in Sydney in June 2009, the ICANN Board of Directors resolved that NEW TOP-LEVEL DOMAINS should not use DNS redirection and synthesizing of DNS responses.

    In response to the Board resolution, ICANN staff included a prohibition against redirection and synthesizing of DNS responses in the draft REGISTRY AGREEMENT FOR NEW GTLDS. ICANN also included a similar commitment as part of the request for new IDN ccTLDs in the proposed Terms and Conditions and in the three proposed relationship options between ICANN and the IDN ccTLD manager.

    The Board also directed ICANN staff to report on the harms and concerns posed by the use of redirection and synthesizing of DNS responses; collectively, NXDOMAIN substitution.