Cloudflare announced the launch of a new free DNS service 1.1.1.1. It has been developed in cooperation with Asia-Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC) that owns 1.1.1.1 IP address. DNS system is one of the most important parts of the global network; it provides a link between addresses of Internet resources in the “letter” format that users know with their real location online (IP address). The key parameter here is how fast this connection is made. Cloudflare spokespeople say that at the moment 1.1.1.1 service is the fastest in the world, it’s ahead of the competition by at least 28%. For comparison: the resolving speed (connecting the domain name to the IP address) of an average Internet provider is 68.23ms, 34.7ms of Google Public DNS and 20.6ms of Cisco OpenDNS. Announced speed of the 1.1.1.1 service is 14.8ms.
However, the new service is meant not only to increase the speed but also security and confidentiality of the Internet connection. Many Internet providers and DNS servers keep data about users’ activity online. Subsequently, this information could be shared with third parties for different purposes – from surveillance to targeted advertising. Service 1.1.1.1 promises to never save IP addresses of their clients and delete information about their activity every 24 hours.
It’s interesting that the Cloudflare’s official statement lists reasons for launching the service on 1 April. IP address 1.1.1.1 contains four ones and therefore the date 4/1 (in the US the month is indicated before the day) was considered the most appropriate. The statement highlights that the launch of 1.1.1.1 is not an April Fool’s joke. Anyone can already configure their computers and mobile devices to use the 1.1.1.1 service.
