Techlore Talks

What It Takes to Run a Free & Private DNS Service with John Todd from Quad9

September 18, 2026·1h 19m
Episode Description from the Publisher

DNS quietly reveals everywhere you go online - even on encrypted sites. In this interview, John Todd (CTO at Quad9) provides a DNS masterclass: how DNS works, the privacy implications, how to change your DNS, why Quad9 collects nothing on you, why they are being sued, DNS vs. VPNs, and how a nonprofit can fund itself without compromising privacy.🔗 SOURCES & LINKS• Quad9: https://quad9.net ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS(00:00) - INTRO (01:00) - WHAT IS QUAD9? (01:30) - HOW IS IT FREE? (02:48) - WHAT'S RECURSIVE DNS? (04:11) - DNS PRIVACY CONCERNS (07:19) - DEFAULT DNS PROVIDER + OPTIONS (09:15) - DNS ON iOS (11:02) - WHERE TO SET YOUR DNS (13:47) - CYBERSECURITY & PRIVACY (16:16) - WHAT'S BLOCKED (18:55) - CUSTOM DNS ON A ROUTER (20:11) - COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS (21:50) - HTTPS VS. TLS VS. QUIC (25:56) - RECOMMENDATIONS (27:20) - CENSORSHIP CIRCUMVENTION (30:01) - SNI & ECH (33:49) - LAWSUITS (40:45) - THE NUANCE BEHIND BLOCKING (42:23) - FOLLOW THE FIGHT (42:52) - THE QUAD9 TEAM (43:39) - OPERATION COSTS (45:34) - MONETIZING DATA? (50:25) - OTHER REVENUE MODELS (57:53) - WHY TRUST QUAD9? (01:00:39) - SPEED DIFFERENCES (01:06:32) - QUAD9 VS. DIY FILTERING (01:08:42) - VPN VS. DNS (01:13:08) - PI-HOLE (01:15:11) - LOOKING FORWARD (01:18:10) - HOW TO FOLLOW 🎥 VIDEOWatch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREKeep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★

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