Re: [dns-privacy] Trying to understand DNS resolver 'discovery'

[Phillip Hallam-Baker <[e-mail]>]

On Tue, Nov 26, 2019 at 1:08 PM Stephane Bortzmeyer <[e-mail]>
wrote:

> On Tue, Nov 26, 2019 at 12:35:13PM -0500,
>  Phillip Hallam-Baker <[e-mail]> wrote
>  a message of 166 lines which said:
>
> > 2) Admin/User Configured DNS
> >     The client obtains the information to connect to a resolver through
> an
> > Administrator or User configuration action. This may be inserting an IP
> > address (8.8.8.8/1.1.1.1/etc) or some form of DNS label.
> >
> > 3) Application/Platform Provider Configuration.
> >     The application or OS platform can simply ignore user preferences and
> > choose a DNS provider of its own liking.
>
> Note that, for free software, there is no real difference between 2)
> and 3). Someone can always change the source and recompile. (And there
> is of course no real privacy without free software.)
>

A very small number of people have that ability. It is not possible for the
typical iOS user for example.

>From my perspective, the user is the only valid source of authority. The
user must have control of their environment (unless they are at work and
know that they have surrendered control in return for a consideration).




> > But please, assure me that we are not the brink of users being faced
> > with pop ups asking them 'would you like to choose me as your DNS
> > provider'.
>
> Why not? But, anyway, the IETF does not do UI so it's not really our
> job.
>

Modern Web browsers have countless security blunders. Allowing sites to do
pop ups at all was an abomination.

Saying we don't do UI in this case is like saying we don't do security.
Changes to the security configuration should only be initiated by the user.