A network connection’s DNS settings are kind of like your body’s DNA.   DNS is an acronym for Domain Name System.   This is the system that translates a string of numbers into the words you type in a browser to go to a web address.

One way of thinking about this is accessing Yahoo! via your phone.   You type m.yahoo.com.    That gets translated in the connections to 69.147.76.15, which is an address where Yahoo!’s servers for mobile versions of their sites reside.

Now Google is offering a service that harnesses the company’s extensive data center and connections in what company officials say will make your browsing experience faster.  I’ve tested this through several connections, and I have seen faster results using different operating systems and browsers.   Whether you trust Google’s privacy promises to not tie all of your browsing history to your account is another matter.   Remember that your workplace or your home Internet provider already has this information.

This is not a recommendation that you use Google’s DNS service, but if you choose to do so, Google’s DNS  instructions are in plain English on the company’s site.  And in a first for the company that famously doesn’t talk to end users, there is even telephone support.

Yessir, Google wants you sending their traffic through them, and the service is noticeably faster in some cases.  Your mileage may vary, and you have to choose the privacy options best for your particular situation.