OpenDNS Redux

You may recall I discussed OpenDNS, a 3rd party DNS server that is very easy to setup and generally works much faster than your ISP’s DNS servers. It also has several advantages such as “adult” filtering and simple site blocking based on various criteria. The filtering is done by St Bernard’s iGuard Software, in case you are wondering.

Well, I have a confession to make, I never actually got OpenDNS to work on my SOHO network. I got it up and running on my laptop at a colleague’s premises using an ADSL connection. However, it niggled me that I couldn’t get it to work for my SOHO, so I did some digging to find out whether my ISP was somehow blocking the use of 3rd party DNS. First hit that came up referenced my cable ISP (UK’s VirginMedia, formerly ntl) as blocking OpenDNS and other related systems. So, I contacted OpenDNS and asked them whether anything could be done. They said they were aware of several users with the same ISP who were having problems and suggested I might fare better contacting the ISP direct.

So, I donned my journalist’s hat and called the ISP’s press office, mentioning that I was hoping to review OpenDNS again and would have to cite their name should it turn out that they were indeed blocking this service. They got back to me within the hour. Told me that they block no 3rd party DNS servers and that it could simply be a technical glitch. They asked for my IP address, which I duly handed over, and they got back to me again within minutes to say the glitch was resolved. Now, there’s service. My contact at VirginMedia also sent an official response to my concerns, which I had raised on the OpenDNS blog, so watch out for the follow up over there too.

So, now I can, hand on heart say that OpenDNS is working in my SOHO, and not just when I’m at my business associate’s premises with a laptop.

However, another issue has since arisen as I have dug deeper into DNS. Christopher Soghoian voiced concerns about a purportedly lax privacy policy at OpenDNS. So, I contacted OpenDNS again and asked them to tell me whether they intended to tighten up their protocols so that their users’ personal details and surfing habits would not be open to abuse. They too responded very quickly alerting me to an open comment from OpenDNS CEO David Ulevitch on Soghoian’s post in which he states “We are absolutely, unquestionably and unequivocally uninterested in collecting personally identifiable information on you.” He adds that privacy policy changes are already underway to tighten up data protection for users of OpenDNS, which is very reassuring to know. Of course, if you have read the privacy policy of your ISP you will be tapping in the DNS IP addresses into your router right now and making the switch to OpenDNS.