The DNS provider Quad9 according to a Communication of the company five years after its founding California. The new location in Switzerland is intended to improve data protection, according to an announcement by Quad9 and Switch, the operator of the university network and the .ch registry. According to legal commitments from the Swiss government, Quad9 does not have to store DNS data of its global users in Switzerland or share it with authorities.
Quad9 was founded in 2017. Meanwhile, the network of the alternative DNS resolver consists of 150 locations in 90 countries. The use is free of charge and possible without registration. In addition to the unencrypted resolver (IP address 9.9.9.9), Quad9 offers a wide range of other servers that include, for example, parental control filters. Laymen will find at Quad9 a Instruction to set up the service on different devices.
Better data protection thanks to alternative DNS servers?
In addition to Quad9, several other institutions and companies also operate alternative DNS servers. However, the financing models and interests often remain unclear. Google could use the Data of its DNS service for even more precise user tracking, for example, and improve advertising activities through the additional data. An alternative DNS server is therefore not always better than the DNS server of the Internet provider from a data protection perspective.
Quad9, on the other hand, has focused on data protection since its inception, according to its operators. The consortium consists of IBM, Packet Clearing House and the Global Cyber Security Alliance. Because Quad9, unlike the competitors Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) and Google (8.8.8.8) is not profit-oriented, the collection of user data is not necessary. Funding is provided by public funds and donations.
Location outside the U.S.
In order to be able to guarantee the highest possible level of data protection, Quad9 has been looking for a new location outside the U.S. since its founding, according to Managing Director John Todd. With the move to Switzerland, the operators want to improve data protection and, above all, achieve decentralization. The other public DNS resolvers, on the other hand, are for the most part still located in the U.S.A. and are thus subject to the same regulations.
As Quad9 explains, the negotiations with the Swiss authorities took around two years. The new location was chosen primarily because the data protection laws there promise "everyone protection".
Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO) as an alternative
Alternatives for a new location were all European Union (EU) member states, according to Quad9, because they are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Although Quad9 is not based within the EU, the service says it already complies with DSGVO requirements. However, the operators state that they do not feel obligated to the groundbreaking provisions of the DSGVO, but simply want to offer the best possible standard of data protection.
Switzerland was the final choice because the local authorities waive the obligation to keep surveillance orders secret. According to Bill Woodcock, head of Packet Clearing House, there are no National Security Letters in Switzerland that tacitly oblige Quad9 to share its traffic with the authorities. Woodcock explains that such an arrangement was not possible in any other country in the world.
No filtering of DNS requests
Moreover, the government in Bern guaranteed Quad9 before the move that the DNS service is exempt from the registration obligation of its users and is not subject to any storage and monitoring obligations. The free DNS resolver thus has more freedoms and fewer obligations than Swiss telecommunications providers. This is possible because Quad9 has been classified as a non-telecommunications service.
This also exempts the DNS resolver from filtering non-licensed online gambling sites. Woodcock explains that "Quad9 does not censor". Internet service providers in Switzerland, on the other hand, are required to do so. Only gambling sites that are compromised with malware or act fraudulently are not delivered by Quad9.
