Let me introduce goggle.com (no link — they are a malware source and a domain typosquatter to boot)!

So what if this happens: My sister Annie (super smart girl) is out surfing the net and she types in or clicks a link for http://www.goggle.com/ — a one-letter typo of http://www.google.com/ (”squatting” on the typo). Easy mistake, could happen to anyone. Unfortunately for Annie she doesn’t get the OpenDNS automatic redirection to google.com or even our search results page[1]. Instead, she is taken to a site, purporting to be an anti-spyware site, which starts to try and destroy her computer and create hours of tech support work for her brother (me). It has popups, automatic downloads and is just generally representative of the lamest parts of the Internet.

Here’s a screenshot:

Right now, even with OpenDNS, my sister still gets to goggle.com — this bothers me. My goal at OpenDNS is to give you choice, not to be a censor. So I don’t want to block goggle.com outright, nor do I want to try and decide what you want. Instead, I want to give you choices. That’s what OpenDNS is: a rock-solid reliable DNS platform with the tools on top to let you manage your network how you want. If you don’t want to manage your DNS, I want our defaults to be the best they can be, which is why I need your input.

I want to know what you think we should do.

1. Should we silently redirect to google.com?
2. Should we take you to a page that says: “This site is lame, click here to Google” so you know what’s happening?
3. Should we just send you off to goggle.com ignoring the consequences?

No matter what we do, we’ll leave the choice in your hands, but I’m curious what our users think the best way to handle cases like this are.

How would you want it to work? How would you want it to work for your sister?

Leave your comments below.

1: Just a sidenote here. While OpenDNS corrects a lot of typos we don’t (yet) correct typos of domains which can legitimately be registered.

Update: Oops, I forgot to mention a thanks to OpenDNS user Danny for emailing in about goggle.com. Thanks Danny!

We have a few confirmed reports of ISPs which do not allow their customers to use external DNS services, such as OpenDNS. These reports are from customers, not the companies. You can change your settings all you like on your end (computer, router, etc.), but they will be ignored/overridden.

We are trying to confirm these reports with the companies so our information is accurate and up-to-date. Inquiries via their websites and support lines have gotten no response, so I am making a more public request, both to the companies themselves and to their customers. I’d rather tell potential OpenDNS customers to avoid frustration than try and help them to no avail after they’ve wasted time trying to choose their own DNS.

NTL customers have been the most persistent in their attempts, to no avail. If you work for NTL (very large ISP in the UK), please get in touch.

If you work for a satellite broadband ISP, such as HughesNet (previously known as DirecWay), StarBand, or SkyWay USA, I’d love to hear from you. Satellite providers: if I didn’t mention your name, I’m still curious and interested…just haven’t heard from your customers yet. I know there are some peculiarities regarding latency for satellite access which probably are the reasons for the policy. Would love to brainstorm about technical solutions all the same.

If you are a customer of any of these companies, and you have better information, I’m listening.

My goal? Provide accurate information and instructions to potential OpenDNS customers on the Get Started page. As our FAQ notes, OpenDNS does not host websites, register domains, or act as an ISP.

How to contact us

Use the contact form or call us at +1-415-344-3166.