At Fundamental, our in-house research and development team focuses on the intersection of Artificial Intelligence with online Privacy and Security. We strive to better inform and equip the public by publishing Insights and Tools related to this topic. Additionally, we develop proprietary software to fill gaps or innovate within the cybersecurity space. Our goal is to add another layer to the cybersecurity onion and enhance the overall security of online activities.
IvyDNS
Research and development efforts led to prototyping (launching soon!) IvyDNS, a cloud service that speeds up connections, protects privacy, and enhances security on all platforms and operating systems. IvyDNS uses Artificial Intelligence to eliminate 65% of unwanted network traffic from trackers, advertisers, malware, and bot networks, as defined by users’ policies. Users have control and flexibility over filters, devices, and user settings. IvyDNS, a comprehensive ad-blocker, has classified 9 million domains, on par with enterprise-grade security systems. With IvyDNS, users see minimal online advertising and experience fast, focused internet browsing.
IvyDNS Capabilities
| Speeds Up Connections | Enhances Security | Uses Artificial Intelligence |
| Protects Privacy | On All Platforms | Comprehensive Ad-Blocker |
Speeds up Connections
IvyDNS unblocks the internet’s arteries by preventing protected devices from accessing undesirable domains. Advertising and other network traffic can consume up to 65% of available bandwidth, which is stolen from users. By preventing this, IvyDNS frees up bandwidth for what it’s really meant for.
Protects Privacy
On the internet, everything users do is tracked, recorded, and processed, known as Quantification. IvyDNS eliminates almost all of the breadcrumbs and footprints that users would otherwise leave behind to be collected by advertisers and profilers. By removing these tracks, IvyDNS ensures user privacy and prevents them from being under surveillance 24/7/365.
Enhances Security
IvyDNS prevents protected devices from connecting to known malware-related domains. This is important because drive-by downloads have become a common way to spread malware. Just visiting a website that serves ads can be enough to infect devices. Advertising networks are often used to deliver viruses and other harmful software. By blocking connections to known malware domains, IvyDNS protects users from these threats.
On All Platforms
IvyDNS works on all platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and more. It can even be set up on a router to automatically protect all devices. IvyDNS works at a fundamental networking level, independent of the operating system. If a device can connect to the internet and set a DNS server, it can use IvyDNS.
Uses Artificial Intelligence
IvyDNS is a cloud-based Domain Name System (DNS) service that filters out requests to undesirable domains. If a protected device requests a blocked domain, IvyDNS tells it the domain doesn’t exist, and the device moves on to the next task. IvyDNS uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to continuously crawl for new information and update target lists automatically. This ensures that IvyDNS is always up to date without any effort required from the user.
Comprehensive Ad-Blocker
IvyDNS goes beyond traditional ad-blockers by working at a deeper level to prevent outbound connections to advertising networks, whereas traditional ad-blockers only block inbound connections. This means that IvyDNS not only hides ads but also frees up bandwidth, enhances privacy and security and helps users regain control over their attention and focus.
IvyDNS vs. Traditional Ad-Blockers
Traditional ad-blockers only address a small part of the privacy and security issues faced online. IvyDNS takes a comprehensive approach to solving all of these issues. Unlike ad-blockers that only work within a browser, IvyDNS works at a network-wide level, both inside and outside a browser. It also blocks undesirable malware networks and botnets. While ad-blockers only react to known threats, IvyDNS proactively collects and classifies domains using Artificial Intelligence, which provides significant scale advantages.
IvyDNS also allows for central management and control, ensuring that all users and devices on an IvyDNS-enabled network are automatically configured to use IvyDNS, and the same rules apply to everyone. Ad-blockers have no way to define a policy, check compliance, or detect circumvention attempts. IvyDNS runs in the cloud, is non-intrusive, allows for high levels of filtering flexibility, and provides centralized control and reporting that respects privacy.
| IvyDNS | Traditional Ad-Blocker |
|---|---|
| Applies network-wide and to the entire device | Works only within a browser session of a device |
| Blocks more than advertising with high degree of customization | Blocks certain advertising and requires specialized skills to customize |
| Prevents outbound requests: advertisers, trackers do not see | Prevents inbound requests: advertisers and trackers can still see |
| Does not accept fee to whitelist domains | Allows acceptable advertising for a fee |
| Enables centralized compliance, control, and reporting without the need to individually configure devices | Each device must be individually touched, installed and configured for limited compliance and reporting |