Google seems to be on a mission to speed up the internet at the moment. Today that continues with the launch of Google Public DNS.
DNS is the “switchboard” of the web, making sure that URLs get you to the right place. Each time you load a web page lots of behind-the-scenes look-ups take place. Google reckons it can do it faster and better than the current servers out there and has launched it’s own version that’s build for speed.
In addition to being faster, Google is claiming that Public DNS is more secure. It has been designed to combat DNS spoofing and Denial of Service attacks.
If you want to give Google’s DNS service a try you can follow the instructions here. Just make sure you keep a record of your current settings in case you want to change back.
Public DNS follows other recent Google announcements aimed at speeding up the web. It has its own scripting language called Go in the works, a speed-focused site analysis tool, a simpler homepage and it even wants to replace the HTTP protocol with its own faster alternative, SPDY.
Although I appreciate Google’s mission to ‘speed up the web’, I believe this DNS service is nothing more than another way for Google to gain more insight is people’s browsing behaviour. Be aware that when you start using this service, Google knows exactly which sites are being visited from your PC. Even when you’re not using Google for search.
Sounds kind of interesting for behavioral targeting of ads, doesn’t it? :)
Alternative headline: “Google’s mission to dominate and subsume the Internet continues”
Why so positive about this? This is another tool to help just one firm gain control of the Internet. Eventually, ISPs, attracted by the fact that they don’t need to maintain infrastructure will migrate to this, as many have done with Google Apps.
And eventually that will be game over.
It sure is another way to get more userdata fot the big G, but damn, it is a lot faster then my previous dns server!
look for “vivilproject dns” on a search engine and list a lot of public DNS other than google dns and opendns… i do not love my private surf can be tracked for ads reasons :-(
Who would you rather trust? Your ISP or Google?
Me, I pick Google any day of the week
Good. The games already lasted too long.
Me, I pick my ISP!
I would pick my ISP. Or even better, services like OpenDNS.