I recently changed from OpenDNS to the new Google DNS servers. I noticed an article regarding a DNS benchmarking app from Google code and wanted to see how fast my internal nameserver was in comparison to some of the others available. Then I noticed something interesting. The app indicated that openDNS was hijacking www.google.com. So then I ran an nslookup and found the following.nslookup
> server 208.67.220.220
Default server: 208.67.220.220
Address: 208.67.220.220#53
> www.google.com
Server: 208.67.220.220
Address: 208.67.220.220#53
Non-authoritative answer:
www.google.com canonical name = google.navigation.opendns.com.
Name: google.navigation.opendns.com
Address: 208.69.32.231
Name: google.navigation.opendns.com
Address: 208.69.32.230
Ok. That's really uncool. Not sure what their motivations are but if I wanted to go to google.navigation.opendns.com I would have typed it into my browser. Its one thing to redirect NXDOMAIN's but a regular URL? That's pretty sleazy. One has to wonder the motivation and privacy implications for doing this.
2 comments:
According to this post on their blog, this was done to work around some other sleazy behavior on the part of Google and Dell.
http://blog.opendns.com/2007/05/22/google-turns-the-page/
@Brian Morton
Yes. I read that as well. But lets summarize for fun.
Because a tiny subset of users running Windows on Dell computers with crapware installed can't comprehend uninstalling a toolbar through add and remove programs with instructions written in plain English lets alter DNS for all users no matter what the platforms to one of the most popular web destinations on the internet?
That seems a bit heavy handed to me. And quite honestly I don't buy their FUD nor believe their claims that they are not doing this for a benefit of some kind. If you had the ability to "listen in" to one of the most popular web destinations on the internet would you be able to resist curiosity?
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