With Google Public DNS, Google forays into the world of DNS (Domain Name System) which to the uninitiated is what converts IP Addresses into hostnames and domain names. I’m now beginning to wonder is there any part of my PC or online life that is not controlled by Google? Well even if it is not I believe it will be so very soon. I can already see the privacy experts going to town with Google Public DNS.
Using DNS services other than those offered by my ISP is not uncommon to me being one of the earliest adopters of OpenDNS as well as recommending it to all and sundry and even personally applying OpenDNS to all the PCs that I could at my workplace, home, friends and relatives.
The new entrant on the scene Google Public DNS offers –
- Speed up your browsing experience.
- Improve your security.
- Get the results you expect with absolutely no redirection.
Setting it up is relatively the easiest with the easiest set of numbers to remember as in 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for Preferred DNS server and Alternate DNS server. Being an early adopter I have set it up to run on my home network and as of now performance is pretty nifty and nothing lacking or challenging as of yet. I will give it a more thorough run and post it here should anything come up.
For further information you can read it up at http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/intro.html and setup instructions are at http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html with also technical information on performance and security benefits.
Of note though David Ulevitch, Founder of OpenDNS has fired a salvo at Google Public DNS on his write-up at http://blog.opendns.com/2009/12/03/opendns-google-dns/ in particular point 3 with…
“Google claims that this service is better because it has no ads or redirection. But you have to remember they are also the largest advertising and redirection company on the Internet. To think that Google’s DNS service is for the benefit of the Internet would be naive. They know there is value in controlling more of your Internet experience and I would expect them to explore that fully. And of course, we always have protected user privacy and have never sold our DNS data. Here’s a link to our privacy policy.”
