Virgin Media
Virgin Media Limited/Virgin Media O2 Limited is a telecommunications company from Britain, founded in 2007, which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom.[citation needed]
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 (2021; merger)[1] |
| Type | Public |
| Industry | Telecommunication |
| Official website | https://www.virginmedia.com/ |
Anti-consumer practices
Forced DNS usage
Users of Virgin Media's routers aren't allowed to set their own DNS servers.[2] Instead, they must use Virgin Media's provided DNS servers, which are almost always slower and less reliable than Cloudflare's or Google's dedicated DNSes (1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8, respectively).[3] The reason for Virgin Media forcing its own DNS servers isn't known, but the servers are used primarily to block sites deemed "inappropriate" by the company.[4]
There are also privacy implications that come with allowing the company to access your DNS queries,[5] as normally it would only be able to see what IPs you are connecting to, but DNS queries also provide exact subdomains.[citation needed]
Mitigation
Set your DNS servers manually on each of your devices to 1.1.1.1 or another reputable DNS provider.[citation needed]
References
- ↑ https://news.virginmediao2.co.uk/about-us/
- ↑ https://community.virginmedia.com/discussions/Wireless/custom-dns-or-modem-mode-on-the-hub5x/5571095
- ↑ https://www.dnsperf.com/
- ↑ https://www.virginmedia.com/help/list-of-court-orders
- ↑ https://www.howtogeek.com/664608/why-you-shouldnt-be-using-your-isps-default-dns-server/