What the %&#$ is Wrong?

Today, Google announced that they are launching their Google Public DNS service.

According to Google, the new Public DNS service will do the following for a user,

• Speed up your browsing experience.
• Improve your security.
• Get the results you expect with absolutely no redirection.

They go into more detail on their site on how this will make it better for everyone based on those three statements.

As a technology purist, I love that they 100% follow the DNS standards. Not even OpenDNS can offer that, but I also wonder why Google is coming out with such a service.

Here are some ideas:

1. Stepping Stone for Google OS:  One thing they could be doing is provide a controlled and secured base for their Google OS, which Google has said it going to be mainly internet based.  This will cut out the middle-man when they are supporting or troubleshooting issues or improvements to their OS.
2. To improve their Adwords program:  They could use the permanent data that they are keeping in their logs to help out with providing a system for targeted advertising.  Targeted advertising would help increase the cost per ad, due to advertisers having more confidence in reaching their intended target.  I can see this being an additional service on top of their general Adwords program that they currently have so they do not disrupt their current client base, but provide organic growth with their more sophisticated clients.
3. Public Relations: One thing you can count on with Google Public DNS is getting a clean result without redirection.  I know with my ISP, Qwest, I get hijacked returns.  But, with Qwest, I have an option to opt out of their “Qwest Web Help” service that was giving me back a hijacked DNS redirection. Now that I opted out, it still shows me a Qwest site, but saying that there is a DNS issue, no more ads.  There are also reports of other large ISP’s like Comcast doing the same thing, but without any way to opt out. Google also has a highly visible privacy policy so you know that they will be doing with your data. A lot of ISP’s do not provide such a easy to find policy, so it makes you wonder what they do with your information. All of the pure technology and improved security with the Google Public DNS will cause people to trust Google over their own ISP, which says a lot.
4. Combination of all of above:  Providing such a basic internet protocol in it’s pure and secure form will probably enable all 3 of my speculations to come true.  If that was the case, Google would have killed many birds with one stone by providing something so fundamental.

Time will tell, and I know a lot of people will be testing their new service.  I know I will be.

SaumZ