Europe just launched DNS4EU, a public DNS resolver with privacy and security options

[harlan4096]

DNS is one of the cornerstones of the Internet. Put simply, it is designed to turn domain names, say ghacks.net, into IP addresses. This process is usually handled by the Internet service provider, but it is often not the best option.

ISPs may sell DNS data, they may offer services that do not offer good performance, or they may block access to certain content.

Public DNS servers promise to do better. There are plenty out there, and while many promise better performance, they too may be used to collect and sell data, or use data otherwise.

Tip: check out Mullvad DNS, a public DNS service by the makers of Mullvad VPN.

DNS4EU

DNS4EU is a new DNS resolver that has been co-funded by the European Union. It is privacy-compliant. The IP address of the user is "fully anonymized" and no "private data is collected anywhere". This means that it aligns fully with the GDPR and other European data protection regulations.

One downside is that it supports locations in Europe only, from Spain to Greece, and Ireland to Poland. That is fine if you connect from one of these locations, but performance may suffer if you connect from other locations.

With that out of the way,  here are the five IP addresses that you may set up:

1. Protective Resolution - IP address 86.54.11.1
   
2. Protective + Child Protection - IP address 86.54.11.12
   
3. Protective + Ad blocking - IP address 86.54.11.13
   
4. Protective + Child Protection + Ad blocking - IP address 86.54.11.11
   
5. Unfiltered Resolution-  IP address 86.54.11.100
   

The unfiltered resolution is the only option that does not block anything. Protective resolution adds threat intelligence and protections to the DNS. Put plainly, it blocks known malicious IP addresses, and thus sites, automatically.

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