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As with all other internet traffic, DNS queries are routed through the VPN tunnel to be resolved on our servers. Proton VPN addresses this threat by running our own DNS servers. If you are using a VPN or proxy to hide your real IP address, but your ISP’s DNS server IP address is exposed, then this mismatch can allow websites to know that you are trying to mask your real identity. Armed with this knowledge, they (or anyone else watching the website) can then approach your ISP and ask it to reveal the IP address of whichever customer made the DNS query.īecause DNS resolution is performed by your ISP, knowing the IP address of the DNS server you used allows websites to identify which country you are in. Although ISPs can track your internet activity in other ways, most confine themselves to simply keeping DNS logs.Īlthough not usually done by default, it is possible for websites that you visit to see the IP address of the DNS server used to resolve the DNS query that directs you to their site. It is performed by DNS servers, which by default are operated by your internet service provider (ISP).Īlmost all ISPs in the world keep logs of DNS queries made by their customers, allowing them to know your browsing history. But in essence, this is what DNS does.) DNS and privacyĭNS resolution is the process of translating a domain into its matching IP address.
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(In practice, an IP address can map to multiple websites, and a single domain can map to multiple IP addresses. If you enter 185.159.159.140 into your browser’s web address bar, it will take you to. The Domain Name System (DNS) is like a global telephone directory that translates human-friendly URLs to the IP addresses that computers use.įor example, the URL currently maps to the IP address 185.159.159.140. The human brain is not designed to remember long strings of numbers, so we identify internet resources (such as websites and games servers) using more human-friendly text strings known as domain names. What is DNS?Įvery connection to the internet is assigned a unique numerical identifier known as an internet protocol (IP) address.
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In this article, we explain what DNS is, how it works, and why manually configuring your DNS settings can prevent our DNS leak protection from working correctly.
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There are some limited circumstances, however, that allow your computer to bypass these protections that can result in third parties being able to see the IP address of the DNS server you are really using. All Proton VPN apps include DNS leak protection designed to prevent websites and the like that you visit on the internet from identifying your real DNS address.
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