Virgin Media
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Legal Structure | Public |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Also known as | |
| Official website | https://www.virginmedia.com/ |
Virgin Media Limited/Virgin Media O2 Limited is a telecommunications company from Britain, founded in 2007, which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom.[citation needed] In 2021 it merged with O2.[1]
Anti-consumer practices
[edit | edit source]Forced DNS usage
[edit | edit source]Users of Virgin Media's routers aren't allowed to set their own DNS servers.[2] Instead, they must use Virgin Media's provided DNS servers, which are almost always slower and less reliable than Cloudflare's or Google's dedicated DNSes (1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8, respectively).[3] The reason for Virgin Media forcing its own DNS servers isn't known, but the servers are used primarily to block sites deemed "inappropriate" by the company.[4]
There are also privacy implications that come with allowing the company to access your DNS queries,[5] as normally it would only be able to see what IPs you are connecting to, but DNS queries also provide exact subdomains.[citation needed]
Mitigation
[edit | edit source]Set your DNS servers manually on each of your devices to 1.1.1.1 or another reputable DNS provider.[citation needed]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Hello, we're Virgin Media O2". Virgin Media O2. Archived from the original on 1 Jan 2026. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ Slazanger (27 Sep 2024). "Custom DNS or Modem Mode on the Hub5X". Archived from the original on 20 Jan 2025. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025 – via Virgin Media Forum.
- ↑ "DNS Performance Analytics and Comparison". DNSPerf. Archived from the original on 22 Feb 2026. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ "Virgin Media court orders". Virgin Media. Archived from the original on 9 Jul 2025. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.
- ↑ Heddings, Anthony (14 Apr 2020). "Why You Shouldn't Use Your ISP's Default DNS Server". How-To Geek. Archived from the original on 16 Apr 2020. Retrieved 15 Mar 2025.