Cloudflare introduces 1.1.1.1 public DNS service, said to be faster than Google DNS and OpenDNS
Cloudflare Inc., a website performance, and security company introduced a new free public domain name system (DNS) service with 1.1.1.1 as its IP address on April Fool’s day. However, this announcement is not a joke as one would assume it to be but is for real.
So, why did Cloudflare choose April 1 for the launch? Matthew Prince, CEO, and co-founder of Cloudflare in a blog post explained, “This is the first consumer product Cloudflare has ever launched, so we wanted to reach a wider audience. At the same time, we’re geeks at heart. 1.1.1.1 has 4 1s. So it seemed clear that 4/1 (April 1st) was the date we needed to launch it.”
With the launch of the 1.1.1.1 DNS service, Cloudflare’s is looking to increase internet connection speeds for everyone. Cloudflare promises the service will be “the fastest public resolver on the planet while raising the standard of privacy protections for users.”
Why does one need another DNS service when there are stalwarts like Google and Comodo? Prince says, “What many Internet users don’t realize is that even if you’re visiting a website that is encrypted — has the little green lock in your browser — that doesn’t keep your DNS resolver from knowing the identity of all the sites you visit. That means, by default, your ISP, every wifi network you’ve connected to, and your mobile network provider have a list of every site you’ve visited while using them.”
He further added, “Network operators have been licking their chops for some time over the idea of taking their users’ browsing data and finding a way to monetize it. In the United States, that got easier a year ago when the Senate voted to eliminate rules that restricted ISPs from selling their users’ browsing data. With all the concern over the data that companies like Facebook and Google are collecting on you, it worries us to now add ISPs like Comcast, Time Warner, and AT&T to the list. And, make no mistake, this isn’t a US-only problem — ISPs around the world see the same privacy-invading opportunity.”
Besides speed, Cloudflare also focuses on maintaining user’s privacy by stopping internet service providers (ISPs) from collecting their browser history. The new service would be committed to going beyond not using browsing data to help target advertising. It will not be logging querying IP address permanently and would clean out all logs within 24 hours.
“Cloudflare’s business has never been built around tracking users or selling advertising. We don’t see personal data as an asset; we see it as a toxic asset. While we need some logging to prevent abuse and debug issues, we couldn’t imagine any situation where we’d need that information longer than 24 hours. And we wanted to put our money where our mouth was, so we committed to retaining KPMG, the well-respected auditing firm, to audit our code and practices annually and publish a public report confirming we’re doing what we said we would”, Prince added in the blog post.
Further, the new service is apparently faster than the hugely popular Google DNS and OpenDNS. 1.1.1.1 claims that they are now 28% faster than any other DNS service as rated by DNSPerf.
This new service was created by APNIC, who owned the 1.1.1.1 address, and Cloudflare who will use their network to host the DNS service. It is a free DNS resolution service that can be easily set up on a mobile device, computer, or router. For those who are interested in changing the DNS server on their device, can check out 1.1.1.1’s official website for more details on how to do so for the iPhone, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, and a router.
Source: cloudflare, betanews
