What your IP address tells about you?

What is an IP address?

The IP address serves as identification for every devicethat is connected to the Internet or to a network; the former is called an Internet IP address while the latter is a local network IP address. Typically, an IP addresses are made up of four numbers between zero and 255 separated by a period. Every IP address is unique. Allocation of IP addresses are regulated by the IANA or The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority and the RIRs or the Regional Internet Registries. The RIRs then leave the task of assigning IP addresses to specific customers through ISP providers.

What does it do?

The IP address plays a crucial role in your web-surfing activities. Every time you visit a website, you are requesting a server to send information to you, and the information is sent to your IP address. In short, it serves as your delivery address when you’re online, so it is definitely not a secret. There are, however, ways to surf the web anonymously, which have proven useful for security-conscious web users. These methods are also useful in protecting web users from identity theft and other cyber crimes that have become rampant recently.

What does it reveal about you?

But since your IP address also serves as your identification over the Internet, this means it reveals certain things about you as a web user. Your IP address normally reveals your general location, i.e. the country where you currenty are and, usually, your specific state and city. In fact, it is possible, when there is a need, to determine your street address using longitude and latitude just from an IP address; this process is called Reverse Geocoding. It is unlikely, however, that your house number will also be revealed.

Due to the information revealed by IP addresses, they are often used by the police to track down web users with inappropriate or illegal online activities. Police can easily acquire IP addresses from ISP providers when there is a need.

Although your IP address only reveals your street, city, state, and country, as a web user, you most likely also reveal other information about yourself when you’re online, particularly through instant messaging and social networking applications. Using these details and your IP address, it wouldn’t be impossible for a person to build a profile about you. Thus, for your safety, be wise about your Internet usage. Before you go online, make sure your computer’s security is activated and updated. Aside from an anti-virus software, you should also have your firewall up.