Internet Censorship Course / Book Workshop
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical, decentralized naming system for computers, services, or other resources connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities. Most prominently, it translates more domain names to the numerical IP addresses needed for locating and identifying computer services and devices with the underlying network protocols. By providing a worldwide, distributed directory service, the Domain Name System is an essential component of the functionality of the Internet. It is safe to say that just about all Internet communication between endpoints relies on the DNS in some fashion.
dig on your machine.Use dig to look up the IP address of:
What do you notice about the differences in these responses.
If you have a Virtual Private Network (VPN) installed, enable it to change your endpoint to a different location, and repeat step 2 (work with a partner or neighbor if you need to).
What do you notice about the similarities and differences between the data you see between the two domains, and how that information changes as you change locations?
The Domain Name System (DNS) is, by default, neither encrypted nor signed (i.e., the validity of the responses is not guaranteed). This subjects the protocol to manipulation, which you can read more about here.