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The passing of the Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2015 caused quite a stir. For some, it was a sad end to Australia’s only way around our murky backwater media landscape, and for others it was simply a waste of government time and funds. Why? Because, as anyone who recognises the acronyms VPN (Virtual Private Network) and DNS (Domain Name System) knows, the website-blocking bill did little to stop Australians from accessing the websites they wanted to.
Despite giving copyright holders the ability to obtain a court order blocking websites that provide illegitimate access to their content (such as torrenting websites and other hubs of pirated content), the way the bill enables this is inherently flawed. If a court order is granted, Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) must prevent their customers from accessing the infringing websites by blocking the relevant domain names. For example, if a user tried to access notorious torrent website The Pirate Bay, an ISP would present that user with an error message instead.
The problem here is that this government-imposed block can be easily bypassed by changing the DNS settings on your device so your ISP can't detect what website you're trying to access. This practice may not be familiar to most Australian Internet users, but it's one that is easily learned and can be completed in under 60 seconds.
If you don't know how to change your settings, follow the steps that we've provided for the following popular devices and operating systems:
Domain Name Servers (DNS) provide a directory for the Internet that holds domain names (eg finder.com.au) and translates them to Internet Protocol (IP addresses). We use domain names, like google.com or facebook.com, because they are easy for users to remember but what your computer actually accesses when visiting your favourite sites is an IP address.
Behind the scenes, a DNS operates kind of like a phonebook, by matching domain names with their associated IP address. When you type a URL into the address bar, the computer makes contact with your DNS server and requests the IP address associated with that website, allowing your computer to retrieve the IP address and display the website in your web-browser.
Generally, we use default DNS servers supplied by our chosen ISP but there are other options such as OpenDNS and Google DNS. Depending on server location, changing your DNS can either slow down or speed up your Internet connection. You can even filter out unsavoury content by using a DNS.
You will need to manually change the DNS in the network settings on your device. We have guides on how to change your DNS settings on every device, but first, let’s take a look at the two most popular alternate DNS services.
Google DNS: The Internet giant that keeps on giving, Google, has its very own DNS service that’s proven popular thanks to its speeds, performance and uncompromised security. You can use Google DNS right now by entering the primary and secondary DNS below:
Primary: 8.8.8.8
Secondary: 8.8.4.4
OpenDNS: OpenDNS is the most popular DNS in the United States. Based in San Francisco, this tech company provides the best service for organisations, like schools that are looking to effectively filter their content and prevent unintended access to inappropriate website or damaging malware. You can use OpenDNS today by entering the DNS values below:
Brodie Fogg was the global publisher for Finder’s TV and streaming platforms. He has also worked for Finder as the assistant publisher for tech and gaming and a staff writer across the tech and telco space . Brodie has a background in education, holding a Bachelor of Education from the University of Newcastle and is passionate about breaking down complicated topics and tech garble to make it more palatable for a wider audience. Before joining Finder he was a contributor to Optus.
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