Major browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox warn you if you visit an unencrypted website.
But while progress has been great, not all of your internet traffic is encrypted.
Firefox led the charge, experimenting support for DNS-over-HTTPS since 2017.
Heres what you better know about the privacy benefitsand limitsof DNS-over-HTTPS.
DNS privacy
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The DNS request that you send is unencrypted.
It contains both the domain you requested as well as a part of your own IP address.
Anyone listening in on your internet traffic can log all the websites you browse to.
How does DNS-over-HTTPS work?
When you use DNS-over-HTTPS, your surfing app encrypts your DNS requests and disguises them as HTTPS packages.
An eavesdropper monitoring your internet traffic wont be able to trace your DNS traffic.
How to enable DNS-over-HTTPS on Google Chrome
Google added support to DNS-over-HTTPS since version 78.
It is still in the experimental phase, so enabling it is not that easy.
To access experimental features, you must jot down chrome://flags in the address bar.
This brings up Chromes experimental features.
Google Chromes experimental features
Find the feature titled Secure DNS lookups and set it on Enabled.
(you might use the search bar at the top of the page to find it quickly.
Google Chromes DNS-over-HTTPS feature
How does DNS-over-HTTPS work on Google Chrome?
Theres a catch here.
Switching on the DoH flag in Google Chrome is not enough to make your DNS requests private.
But it doesnt mean your box is using them.
By default, most computers use the default DNS resolver their ISP or connection administrator provides.
In case your resolver does not support DoH, enabling Google Chromes DoH flag will make no difference.
(Youll find instructions for adjusting DNS tweaks in Windows 10hereand MacOShere.)
What are the privacy considerations of DNS-over-HTTPS?
While DNS-over-HTTPS enhances your browsing privacy in Google Chrome, its not a perfect solution.
Reading DNS requests is one of the main ways ISPs use to track your browsing.
as well as page details, it still reveals the domain of the website youre visiting.
One consideration about this is the propagation of DoH to content delivery networks (CDNs).
But that hasnt happened in full yet.
DoH might disrupt the functionality of these tools.
These websites expose all your information to eavesdroppers and web connection gateways.
Using DNS-over-HTTPS will not protect the data you exchange with these websites.
