Firefox Confirms 'DNS over HTTPS' Change Causing Controversy

Mozilla approved the browser change, which it announced for the first time in September last, and has led to many controversies so far. This change, which is activated only for users in the USA, offers a more secure internet access than what Mozilla reports.

Last September, Mozilla first announced the Firefox browser changes, which led to controversy. After many attempts, the company officially confirmed this change after 5 months, explaining that they are sure that it is the right decision to enable DoH  (DNS over HTTPS) by default.

The company said in a statement today that the encrypted DoH by default has been launched for  US users . So what is this change and why is it causing controversy? Let's take a closer look at the answer to this question.

Why is this change of Mozilla discussed?

Most of the things we do online are encrypted and the number of websites that are still on their way with unencrypted content is decreasing, but there is one exception. The actual URL names we write to our browsers are sent over the unencrypted network to be translated into IP addresses by synchronous name servers that power the World Wide Web .

This method, called 'Domain Name System' (DNS), is one of the most powerful aspects of the internet that ensures its unstoppable growth, but it is also one of its main weaknesses. As easy as typing a recognizable name in a browser and turning it into an IP address, these explicit requests can be captured and modified by malicious people.

DoH, which Firefox enables by default, encrypts these names. Coming to the point of discussion, DoH bypasses locally held DNS nameservers, which prevents internet service providers (ISPs) from monitoring or filtering traffic. At this point, Mozilla says their aim is to create a safer internet.

Mozilla states that attackers on the network prevent data collection:

Verifying that the application has been launched, Mozilla says that unencrypted DNS is not only vulnerable to espionage, but also has an exploitation and therefore helps the Internet to switch to safer alternatives. At this point, the company states that the attackers on the network prevented them from reaching the search history and collecting data .

Activating DoH only for users in the U.S. , the company has released a guide for users outside the U.S. who want to enable this feature . You can enable DNS over HTTPS from the page that opens by clicking Settings> General> Network Settings> Network settings on the right .

Although Mozilla's controversy is controversial, we can say that Google Chrome does the same. At this point, Google was also questioned whether it would use DoH to direct and monitor most of the internet traffic and whether it would create unfair competition using its current location.