It apprears that NextDNS has removed No Google, No Facebook, and other blocklist without notifying users. One person said the NSA blocklist was also down. The company had made no responses to complaints on the community server when I checked earlier. Crickets…
I noticed Android and Linux being unable to access the app and web interface to confirm connections, starting some time on November 4th. I was able to switch DNS providers on Android and switch back, after which NextDNS seemed to work. On Linux however, systemd confirmed it was enabled but it went right to google’s webpage with no block.
If you’re on NextDNS, go check your domain filters ASAP. I switched to RethinkDNS, and it’s been decent so far. What is everyones preferred solution?
If anyone wants to check whether their filtering is actually working rather than trusting the dashboard: test a domain that should be blocked with
digornslookupagainst the resolver directly, and run a DNS leak test with the VPN on and off. If the blocked domain still resolves, the list isn’t being applied.For alternatives, the usual split: Quad9 if you only want malware blocking and a non-profit behind it, ControlD or Mullvad DNS for hosted filtering, and AdGuard Home, Pi-hole or Technitium if you want the lists under your own control. Whatever you pick, pin it with DNS-over-HTTPS or DoT so the OS or router can’t silently fall back to the ISP.