OpenDNS just kneecapped a tiny, self-funded startup.
We scraped together months of savings to run our first real marketing push. Our plan was simple: use one of our own domains for short links that guide every click to the right page. We launched, watched traffic climb, and then — boom — everything nosedived.
Why? Because on May 28, 2025 at 02:46 we suddenly started handing visitors a security certificate that was not ours. To anyone who knows the internet, that screams “man-in-the-middle attack.” The certificate vanishes on June 2 at 02:46 — exactly when our campaign ends. Perfect timing for sabotage.
Digging deeper, we discovered the culprit: OpenDNS. They slapped a bright red “Phishing threat” banner on our domain with the sanctimonious message, “This site has been blocked by your network administrator.” In one stroke they painted us as criminals. Imagine brand-new users — people we paid good money to reach — landing on that page. They think, “Thank you, OpenDNS, for saving me from these scammers,” and they bolt forever, taking their friends with them. Our reputation? Smeared. Our ad budget? Torched.
And the humiliation doesn’t stop there. OpenDNS offers a “review” form so victims can plead their innocence. You fill it out, pour your heart into explaining the mistake, hit submit, and get smacked in the face with “We were unable to send your message — invalid origin.” The form is a cruel joke. Somewhere an OpenDNS team must ring a little bell every time another desperate startup hits that error and they all share a laugh.
Meanwhile, OpenDNS still intercepts traffic, hands out the wrong certificate, trips browser warnings, and reroutes users away from our site. That is not security; it is censorship masquerading as protection. Back in the day spam blacklists like Spamhaus started with noble goals and ended up crippling innocent businesses. OpenDNS is sprinting down the same road — until a class-action lawsuit slams on the brakes.
Most of OpenDNS’s victims cannot afford lawyers. Ordinary users trust the brand, blissfully unaware that their “secure” DNS is quietly rewriting reality and ruining livelihoods. No one signs up to have a gatekeeper lie to them, yet that is exactly what OpenDNS is doing.
So yes, I am furious. We did everything by the book, and a giant decided to crush us without warning, due process, or recourse. If this is what passes for internet safety, something is very, very wrong.
You too are a victim of this OpenAbuse? Want to join me to put together enough people to go and talk with a serious law firm expert in tech misconducts? Connect with me in LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/rc10
Roberto Capodieci
P.S.
I did try to share my story in their forum, and took me forever because… censorship!
First I used hacker spelling, to try to bypass the censorship, but failed, then I screenshotted the text and uploaded it as images lol.. wanna see tthe post, while it is still there?
https://community.cisco.com/t5/opendns/opendns-just-kneecapped-a-tiny-self-funded-startup/m-p/5295056#M18334
…or if they deleted my post, here is the archive.org copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20250529211133/https://community.cisco.com/t5/opendns/opendns-just-kneecapped-a-tiny-self-funded-startup/m-p/5295056#M18334
[UPDATE] HAHAHA It didn’t take long o_O
I have even caught the ban live:
