Firefox Enables DNS over HTTPS

Mozilla created a bit of controversy today by enabling DNS over HTTPS by default in the United States.

DoH will encrypt DNS traffic from clients (browsers) to resolvers through HTTPS so that users’ web browsing can’t be intercepted or tampered with by someone spying on the network. The resolvers we’ve chosen to work with so far – Cloudflare and NextDNS – have agreed to be part of our Trusted Recursive Resolver program. The program places strong policy requirements on the resolvers and how they handle data. This includes placing strict limits on data retention so providers- including internet service providers – can no longer tap into an unprotected stream of a user’s browsing history to build a profile that can be sold, or otherwise used in ways that people have not meaningfully consented to. We hope to bring more partners into the TRR program.

I agree with Bruce Schneier that this “is a great idea, and long overdue.”

A lot of the criticism of DNS over HTTPS is reminiscent of the criticism over TLS 1.3. Enterprises took advantage of poor security in DNS and TLS 1.2 to manage their networks, which is understandable. But we shouldn’t kneecap the security of the 3.2 billion people worldwide who use the Internet in favor of special interests.

A lot of that criticism also involves “experts” talking out of both sides of their mouths. For example, Caitlin Cimpanu offers contradictory complaints in ZDNet that, on the one hand, DoH doesn’t prevent ISPs or other network providers from tracking users.

But, in the same article, Cimpanu argues that DoH bypasses enterprise policies because it makes it impossible for those enterprises to track users.

Mozilla’s Cartoon Intro to DNS over HTTPS

Mozilla’s Lin Clark has a cartoon guide to DNS over HTTPS that . . . well . . . bottom line, there is no way to talk about DNS over HTTPS without getting fairly technical (one of the subheads on Lin’s lengthy pice is “What isn’t fixed by TRR with DoH?”) but this is probably as close as anyone is going to get.

A cartoon intro to DNS over HTTPS
A cartoon intro to DNS over HTTPS