Use of a domain name server to direct web communications to an intermediation platform

A method comprising:

• receiving at a domain name server a first correlation request that specifies a first domain name and seeks a network address correlated with the first domain name, wherein the domain name server maintains (i) host data that correlates the first domain name with a network address of a host server having the first domain name and (ii) whitelist data that correlates the first domain name with a first network address, wherein the first network address is a network address of a first intermediation platform;
• making a first determination by reference to the whitelist data that the first domain name is correlated with the first network address;
• and
• in response to making the first determination, generating and outputting from the domain name server, in response to the first correlation request, a first correlation response comprising (a) the first network address as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address not equal to the first network address and (b) the network address of the host server having the first domain name as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address equal to the first network address.

A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for causing a processor to carry out the following steps:

• receiving at a domain name server a first correlation request that specifies a first domain name and seeks a network address correlated with the first domain name, wherein the domain name server maintains (i) host data that correlates the first domain name with a network address of a host server having the first domain name and (ii) whitelist data that correlates the first domain name with a first network address, wherein the first network address is a network address of a first intermediation platform;
• making a first determination by reference to the whitelist data that the first domain name is correlated with the first network address;
• and
• in response to making the first determination, generating and outputting from the domain name server, in response to the first correlation request, a first correlation response comprising (a) the first network address as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address not equal to the first network address and (b) the network address of the host server having the first domain name as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address equal to the first network address.

A system comprising a domain name server, the domain name server comprising:

• a domain-name-server processor,
• a domain-name-server communication interface configured to receive correlation requests and to transmit correlation responses, and
• domain-name-server data storage comprising:
• host data correlating each of a plurality of domain names with a respective host server network address, including correlating a first domain name with a first host server network address that is associated with a first host server,
• whitelist data correlating the first domain name with a first intermediation platform network address that is associated with a first intermediation platform;
• and
• domain-name-server program instructions executable by the domain-name-server processor to:
• receive at the domain name server a first correlation request seeking a network address correlated with the first domain name,
• make a first determination by reference to the whitelist data that the first domain name is correlated with the first intermediation platform network address, and
• in response to making the first determination, return from the domain name server, in response to the first correlation request, a first correlation response comprising (a) the first intermediation platform network address as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address not equal to the first intermediation platform network address and (b) the first host server network address as the network address correlated with the first domain name when the first correlation request has a source address equal to the first intermediation platform network address.