Google releases Public DNS

[Jeber]

Now Google has entered the DNS provider ranks with their Public DNS, 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. Needless to say this has raised security concerns over Google having access to our searches and web browsing.Comodo already offers their SecureDNS (156.154.70.22 and 156.154.71.22) and OpenDNS has been around for a while (208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220). Predictably the founder of OpenDNS is not impressed. So what do you think? Is allowing Google to cache DNS records, even though they say they are only retained for 36-48 hours, in exchange for faster page loads a good idea? Do you even change your DNS settings in your router from those provided by your ISP? Have you experienced faster browsing by using Comodo or OpenDNS' settings?If you're not sure what this is all about, Comodo explains the purpose and functionality of DNS well here.

[Guest LilBambi]

Personally, I will not be using Google's public DNS servers. I will continue to use my ISP's and OpenDNS.OpenDNS has some really good benefits and they don't do anything else so I don't see the same kind of conflict of interest that I see with Google.Google tries hard to be a good Internet Citizen, don't get me wrong and they do a very good job at that most of the time ... but when there is an obvious conflict of interest between their service and how they make their money ... I don't think it would be wise to allow them to put themselves in that kind of conflict of interest and then you won't have to worry whether they rationalize an abuse of that at some point down the road.I am not picking on Google here. I would feel the same way no matter what company it was....if there was a perceived conflict of interesting, I would feel wary and likely not go with them for that 'service.'But that's just me.

[Jeber]

There's a thoughtful write-up about this topic on ars technica.

Unfortunately, despite the anycasting, advanced caching, and extensive security features, Google Public DNS is not the ideal DNS service. For one thing, it's not called "experimental" for nothing. From my home, I can't reach 8.8.8.8. Packets end up ping-ponging between the addresses 9.9.9.18 and 9.9.9.17. Apparently some routing engineer at Google is a bit dyslexic. (It does work from another location that I have access to.) Also, despite Google's claim that it provides NXDOMAIN responses whenever a domain name doesn't exist, its servers actually respond with REFUSED when looking up a name that goes with a private address (such as in the 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x ranges). My Mac doesn't seem to like this, so it keeps repeating those requests over and over. OpenDNS, which also runs a network of public, open DNS servers, doesn't have this problem. OpenDNS also allows users to set up malware blocking and NXDOMAIN redirection through a dashboard. You also generally don't want to hard-configure your laptop or smartphone to use a fixed set of DNS servers, but rather use the ones provided locally at each place where you connect to the network. This avoids the situation where the hardcoded DNS servers have bad performance, are blocked, or are improperly anycasted. (Note that under Mac OS X, you can have different "locations" with different network settings, and you can set one up with automatic DNS configuration and one with Google Public DNS or OpenDNS.) However, if your ISP's DNS servers don't perform well, it can be useful to set up alternative DNS servers in your local router or DHCP server, and computers and other devices will use it automatically without having to be configured. Google's setup instructions walk you through the process.Last but not least, there's the privacy aspect. Two people that I talked to immediately brought this up: "Google already sees enough of my 'Net activity, thankyouverymuch." If that's a concern of yours, Google has an extensive privacy page to set your mind at ease.

[zlim]

Interesting. I'll pass on using Google's DNS IPs. Like Fran, I stick to my provider's and Open DNS.At this point in time, I'm sure google knows way more about me than most of my friends. I'll continue to use google as my main search engine and I finally broke down and have a gmail address, used mainly to email myself computer manuals I have no hard copy of and don't want to print out.

[Tushman]

Google tries hard to be a good Internet Citizen, don't get me wrong and they do a very good job at that most of the time ... but when there is an obvious conflict of interest between their service and how they make their money ... I don't think it would be wise to allow them to put themselves in that kind of conflict of interest and then you won't have to worry whether they rationalize an abuse of that at some point down the road.

Very well said. I absolutely agree with you.

[goretsky]

Hello,I was thinking that Google Chrome OS plus Google Secure DNS allows Google not just to control the desktop operating system but also where it goes on the Internet. Hopefully this means a more secure Internet experience for users.Regards,Aryeh Goretsky

[Peachy]

And Google Chromium and the Google Phone (Nexus One) and Google Maps and Google...

[GolfProRM]

I setup Google DNS on my router at home. I've found it to resolve DNS requests significantly faster than the standard DNS servers used by my ISP. The nice thing about setting it at a router level is that I don't have to mess with each system on my network, and my Laptop isn't locked down to it when I'm not at home.I'm to the point where I've accepted that Google knows everything about me, and I just don't care because the services they provide are too convenient. I've got a Motorola Droid (running Google Android) for my cellphone, I've got a Gmail account and a Google Apps account, I track RSS feeds in Google Reader (synced to my phone), and iGoogle is my homepage. It all works extremely well, and now with the Android phone, everything syncs back and forth automatically. I figured why not use the DNS service? It just works, like everything else Google.

[Tushman]

I'm to the point where I've accepted that Google knows everything about me, and I just don't care because the services they provide are too convenient. I've got a Motorola Droid (running Google Android) for my cellphone, I've got a Gmail account and a Google Apps account, I track RSS feeds in Google Reader (synced to my phone), and iGoogle is my homepage. It all works extremely well, and now with the Android phone, everything syncs back and forth automatically. I figured why not use the DNS service? It just works, like everything else Google.

I don't do anything on the internet that would be considered as dangerous or suspicious - so Google's tracking doesn't bother me in that regard. It's the invasion of privacy that really irks me the most. Google isn't the only one guilty of this in recent past either - a lot of corporate giants are infringing upon our rights these days IMHO. In light of what Lilbambi has alluded to in her reply above, a lot of companies are very good at justifying their behavior even it means compromising their ethics in favor of boosting their profits or impacting their bottom line. If we are not vigilant about our personal freedom & privacy, these corporate giants will run amuck and it pretty soon it will be like "Big Brother" watching our every move acting as if it was benign or beneficial for us. Nothing could be further from the truth.I'll be the first to say that I love technology and all the wonderful things it can do. Especially when it comes to making our lives more convenient or everyday tasks more efficient for us. But from a philosophical point of view, I don't think it's a good thing to be 'tied' into technology or reliant upon technology too much. One can say "I'm not tied into it or I can live without it", but try to go without Google or your technology widgets and gizmos for a month and see how well you do. It's a hard transition for some. Edited January 1, 2010 by Tushman

[Jeber]

To determine which DNS server is fastest at your location may I recommend Steve Gibson's Domain Name Speed Benchmark. Include Google's DNS server addresses (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) for comparison.