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The problem is that there are more parties than you, your DNS server (the cab driver) and your destination (the website). The cab driver might have to ask a number of other people how to get to the destination.

Your DNS server probably doesn't have the exact record for you at the ready, but it does know another DNS server that gets you closer to an answer. That's how recursive DNS works and it might happen a few times before you actually get to a result. With ECS now every DNS server in this chain knows 12.45.56.x wanted to visit hacker news.