In today's digital landscape, online security and privacy are more important than ever. With growing concerns about how our data is handled and protected on the internet, the need to embrace more secure technologies arises. One such technology is DNS over HTTPS, commonly known as DoH.

This article aims to explain what DoH is, why it's important, and the benefits you gain by enabling or disabling it.

What is DoH?

DNS over HTTPS (DoH) is an Internet security protocol that encrypts DNS requests. DNS, or Domain Name System, translates easy-to-remember domain names (like www.webzi.mx) into IP addresses that computers use to communicate with each other. Traditionally, these requests are made in plain text, making them vulnerable to interception and manipulation. DoH improves this situation by conducting these requests through the HTTPS protocol, which is widely used and trusted for web encryption.

Importance of DoH:

The importance of DoH lies in its ability to enhance user online privacy and security. By encrypting DNS requests, DoH prevents third parties from easily intercepting these requests to track which websites the user visits or carry out attacks like DNS spoofing, where attackers redirect users to malicious websites.

Benefits of Enabling DoH:

Enhanced Privacy: By encrypting your DNS requests, DoH makes it difficult for Internet service providers and other actors to see which websites you access.
Increased Security: Reduces the risk of certain cyberattacks, such as DNS cache poisoning and man-in-the-middle attacks, which can compromise your data.
Improved Performance: Some studies have shown that DoH can reduce latency during web browsing, resulting in a smoother user experience.

Considerations When Disabling DoH:

Disabling DoH means that your DNS requests will go back to being unencrypted. This can be an issue if you are concerned about aspects such as:

Reduced Privacy: Your Internet service providers or anyone with access to your network could see which websites you visit.
Compromised Security: Increases the risk of DNS-related attacks, such as redirection to fake websites.
Potential Performance Issues: Without DoH, you may experience higher latency in certain cases, although this can vary depending on your configuration and Internet provider.

The DNS over HTTPS protocol addresses this by performing web address conversion through the HTTPS protocol, which encrypts the data and prevents transmission in plain text. This significantly enhances your online privacy and security. Furthermore, it has been shown to reduce latency, improving browsing performance and speed. This feature is activated directly in your browser, independent of your Internet provider's decisions.

How to Enable DoH in Your Browser:

To enable DoH in Chrome, simply enter the following in the search bar:

chrome://flags/#dns-over-https

This will take you to Chrome's Flags section, where you should select the 'Enabled' option under 'Secure DNS lookups.'

In Microsoft Edge, the process is similar: type in the search bar

edge://flags/#dns-over-https

Access Edge's Flags and enable 'Secure DNS lookups.'

In Firefox,

1. Click on the menu in the upper right corner, select 'Options.'
2. Within it, go to 'Network Settings' in the General section.
3. In the window that opens, enable 'DNS over HTTPS' and choose between Cloudflare and NextDNS as encryption providers.

DNS over HTTPS is a key technology in the quest for increased internet security and privacy. When considering the privacy and security benefits it offers, along with potential browsing performance improvements, enabling DoH is a smart decision for users who value these aspects in their online experience. However, each user should weigh these benefits against their own needs and network configurations to make the best decision.