Why is Google the first DNS choice?

Feature Requests
26

Hey Dan,
I totally get and believe that Google was just put there from the get-go without any alterior motives. I have no doubt.

My only point is this: Pihole is a fantastic tool aimed at eliminating ads, general annoyances, and invasive privacy trackers. Google is by far the largest issuer and promoter of all the above, and I have provided factual data in previous posts, so I'm not sure on what basis someone else said that is "not true". I encourage the doubters to look at these articles, and do a search on their own to find many more. Maybe use duckduckgo.com instead of google.com, if they want un-curated results.

(Sorry I had to change the . to -dot- since the forum wouldn't let me post more than 5 hyperlinks.) mod edit: fixed links on OP's behalf

whotracks.me
comparebusinessproducts.com/fyi/top-10-big-brother-companies-privacy-infringement
arstechnica.com/information-technology/2007/06/google-named-worst-privacy-offender-in-study
pcworld.com/article/257603/facebook_google_top_list_of_firms_tracking_you_online_report.html

And many others...

For goodness sake, all a person needs to do is take a look at Pihole's long term data logs and see all the instances of Google-related blocked entries!

Google's reach into our private lives has grown exponentially since Pihole's start, and given the fact that they account for most of the junk Pihole blocks (even if you don't use their services), does it really make sense to keep them as the featured number one DNS choice for unsuspecting users to pick? Maybe it's just me, but "that's the way it's been since the start" doesn't really sound like a compelling reason not to re-evaluate.

Peace :slight_smile:

27

The option is available to you and any other users - don't select the Google DNS as your upstream DNS server. There are numerous other choices available.

28

Point is, we're not the platform to say "don't use Google, Google is bad" to anyone. To repeat what I said above:

My only advice to anyone, ever, is that they should use the tools that feel right to them, and not worry about what other people say.

All we can do is make gentle suggestions to newer users on where to get started. Where they go from there is entirely up to them.

This is anecdotal, at best, based on your own dashboard :wink:

As explained, it's not the featured number one. It just happens to be at the top of the list. If we put them in alphabetical order, Cloudflare will be at the top of the list, and then we anger the anti-Cloudfare mob. There is no easy solution other than to transparently say: that's just the order they are in.

You're right, it is not. so, with my moderator hat on:

Let's leave this discussion here. @FreeRein, you've made your point, and it's not going to be removed. Perhaps someone will read it in future and find it useful. But I don't think there is any more value in this discussion as far as Pi-hole is concerned, it's not the platform to launch an anti-Google revolution from, there are many places from which to do that, but this is not one of them.

To anyone reading this in the future, here is an official developers statement:

Use whichever upstream DNS server you feel comfortable with, if one or the other doesn't sit will with you, then simply don't use it.

Edit: in case it was not entirely clear, the feature request remains open, and if a sensible solution can be devised, great. But let's not make it about good/bad

29

PromoFaux,
I humbly accept your decision. Thanks for listening and providing feedback. Keep up the good work!

1 Like
31

A post was split to a new topic: Why is cache not cleared for blacklisted entrues

32

May I suggest to offer at first the default "Standard DNS", which is provided by your router/internet provider?
This way, PiHole would just filter an not change DNS.

33

How would Pi-hole detemine this DNS?

34

Why should PiHole "determine" this DNS? Your gateway/router gets the provider given DNS via DHCP. With naming your gateway PiHole also gets the default DNS (what I named "standard DNS").

35

Only if the router is using the ISP DNS.

36

Even if the router does not use the ISP DNS it probably has another DNS configured. So then this is the default DNS, isn't it? (I am not aware if a router may have not any DNS configured.)

37

Tell me what IP I can code in to the installer that will work.

40 
ip route show | awk '/default/{print $3}'

should work

41

It gives me the IP address of the default gateway. It doesn't give me the IP address of the DNS server used by the network.

dschaper@nanopi-r2s:~$ ip route show | awk '/default/{print $3}'
192.168.88.1
192.168.88.1
eth0
42

Yes, for most home setups that would also be the dns server. You could also use resolv.conf or the dig command. I think the point @Stevy76 is making is it is totally feasible to automatically get your current upstream dns and use that for Pi-hole as the default.

43

It's not feasible enough to be the default button mash entry. Not all routers have DNS servers built in, and not all routers with DNS servers will answer requests from anyone that is not a DHCP client.

Things will stay as they are for now and those with concerns about the upstreams are able to change who they use.

44

While I totally accept your decision to not change the default DNS I don't understand your reasoning.
When I want to install Pi-hole with say the curl one-liner I need a system with already working dns. Why can't you just take that dns server?
This is a serious question since I'm not as exposed to this matter as you guys are. :smiley:

45

We need to have some kind of base case where we know things will work. I know, all conspiracies aside, that the DNS server options provided will work. ISPs are historically very bad DNS infrastructures. ISP's in the USA hijack responses, my particular ISP will replace NXDOMAIN responses with their IP address and an ad laden search page.

The dialog displayed when you install Pi-hole gives you the option to use any upstream you wish to use.

Is there an argument against the current setup that is not based on "Google Bad" or similar?

46

Ah, that makes this clearer to me now, since the providers I had here in germany didn't provide this kind of 'service' :sweat_smile:.
I'm with you that everyone who want's another provider can configure one during installation or afterwards, so I don't see a problem with any of your listed upstream providers. I just wanted to genuinly know why the 'network provided dns' idea was dismissed so quickly when I myself could not find a technical reason why. Thanks for educating me :slightly_smiling_face:

47

To be fair to us in the US though, we don't have Fritz! boxes. :wink:

48

As does my ISP in a different part of the same country.