Open DNS

You should use Open DNS. You can filter bad stuff and hackers won't steal your info as much. Let me break it down.

DNS is how your computer looks up addresses for websites and everything else on the Internet. It's like 411, but instead of giving you phone numbers, you get computer's numbers. For example, you type "http://drudgereport.com" into your browser. Your computer then has to go ask what's called a DNS server what the numerical address of drudgereport.com is. So your computer sends out the request to a DNS server that your computer already knows about, and that server gives you back the number address so your browser know where in the world to then go and get awesome news.

If you've never changed it on your computer, you're probably just using the DNS that Comcast or Qwest or Verizon or whatever ISP (internet service provider) provides you when you plug your computer or router into the box they give you.

Here's what's bad about most of those DNS services you're getting from your ISP:

• They can be slow. They don't really care about DNS.
• Just recently, hackers were able to change addresses all over the internet (and probably still can) so when you type in wellsfargo.com into your browser, the hacker has put their fake address on the DNS server, and you get back the WRONG ADDRESS, and head over to THEIR site, even though your browser still says "WellsFargo.com." Seriously, this was a big deal, and you didn't know.
  
• DNS Servers can give you so much more, but your ISP really doesn't care to give you anything awesome like this because they are all evil (or 90-95% evil).
  

If you use OpenDNS instead, you can get (FOR FREE, mind you):

• Faster DNS
• Probably less hackable DNS (while you were exposed and didn't even know it to the horrible problem I described above, OpenDNS users never were.)
• DNS that will auto correct some stuff for you (like you type in craigslist.og, it'll just switch it to craigslist.org)
• Protection from phishing sites (sites set up to look like legit sites like paypal or something)
  
• The BEST part, is that you can set it up to filter certain web sites for you. Whether they be adult, video, racist, Ad-sites, gaming sites . . . WHATEVER, it will just block it for you. It's cheap and it is FREE.

Basically you can switch to OpenDNS (unless your ISP is a total jerk) just by changing a setting on your computer or router. Start by going here: https://www.opendns.com/k12/start and just follow instructions.

It's just really worth it.