If you browse the internet for a long enough time, you’ll likely be made aware of the existence of the IP address. However, you won’t always be told what the IP address is and what information it gives people. For example, does an IP address show your location?
Using only your IP address, someone would only be able to find your relative location and not your exact location. Your IP address will only let someone know information like your country, state, or maybe what city you live in. They will not be able to get your home address from your IP alone.
When it comes to IP address, many people don’t know much about it other than the name; some don’t even know what exactly an IP address does and why they need to protect theirs. So let’s go through the concept of the IP address in more detail to help you keep your devices nice and secure.
Does an IP Address Show My Location?
Yes, your IP address does include some location data in the numbers that make up the IP address. However, if you’re worried that someone will use your IP address to find your home address, this isn’t possible.
Your IP address does not include any information on your precise location, only your relative location. This means someone can only use your IP address to determine your country, state, city, or zip code. But, again, this does not include your exact coordinates or home address.
The only exception is your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has your exact location data. So if your IP address is involved in illegal activity, the police can use your IP address to determine your ISP. They could then subpoena your ISP to make them give up your exact location.
However, this shouldn’t be an issue unless you’re a criminal. For most people, no, your IP address alone will not be enough to determine your exact location.
What is an IP Address?
Even though an IP address is one of the most critical parts of any device that can connect to the internet, you could browse the internet for years and never even know your IP address. Despite this, most people have at least heard the term “IP address“ before; they don’t know what it means.
An IP address, or Internet Protocol address, is the unique address that identifies your exact device on the internet. This allows the internet to know where to send all the data you request (such as emails, internet pages, and images).
The simplest way to picture it is to imagine your IP address as a mailing address. If you send a letter in the mail, the postmen delivering it know where to take it because of the mailing address you put on the envelope.
This is essentially what an IP address is. It tells every page you visit where to send the requested information, just like a mailing address. This information is then displayed on your computer’s monitor.
As we mentioned, an IP address can also be used to identify your device. This is because no two devices share the same IP address, just like fingerprints. So, you can identify their computer, specifically if you have someone’s IP address.
Can Other People Find My IP Address?
Yes, it is possible for other people to find your IP address. This can be done through a couple of different methods.
The first method is the easiest to understand. If someone else has your computer and they want your IP address, all they have to do is go to whatismyipaddress.com. This will display your IP address, as well as the location of your ISP, on their page.
One of the most common ways people get your IP address is through web server logs. When you visit a website, your IP address is used to receive the data from that website. Some websites will keep your IP address in their server logs after you visit.
Some websites do this for practical purposes. For example, many internet discussion forums will keep your IP handy, so they can ban your IP address if you break their rules. But, of course, if they didn’t ban your IP address, there would be nothing to stop you from just making another account and posting anyway.
Should I Be Concerned About Hiding My IP Address?
To put it briefly, yes, you likely should want to hide your IP address from people you don’t know. Knowing your IP address should be inconsequential information for people that mean you no harm, but if anyone malicious were to get their hands on your IP address, it could spell trouble.
One of the most threatening things someone could do with your IP address is perform a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. A DoS attack uses your IP address to make it so you can no longer connect your device to the internet.
An especially malicious skilled hacker could also use your IP address to frame you for crimes. All they would have to do is set their IP address to be identical to yours and then perform some illegal activity on the internet. Anyone looking into this activity would then be drawn to your IP address.
However, the most common reason people want to hide their IP address is privacy from internet tracking. Many advertisers will use your IP address to track what you do online. This information helps them to tailor their ads to your preferences better to hopefully get you to buy their products.
How to Hide Your IP Address
After reading the previous section, you’re likely worried about the safety of your IP address. Thankfully, hiding your IP address from these malicious actors is relatively easy. One of the easiest methods to hide your IP address is a Virtual Private Network, or VPN.
Usually, when you connect to a website, you send that website your IP address, and then the website uses your IP address to send you the website data.
But when you use a VPN to connect to a website, your computer sends your IP to the VPN, which then sends an encrypted IP to the website, which the website then uses to send you the website data.
In simpler terms, a VPN makes it so the websites you visit never actually receive your IP address. This will protect your IP address from many methods malicious actors use to get it.
When trying to find a VPN, you have two options: a free VPN or a monthly subscription paid VPN. Paid VPNs are usually the better option as they are very reputable, while free VPNs often make money by selling your data to the very people you were trying to protect it from in the first place.
The most reputable paid VPNs are ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Both of these services come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there are almost no downsides to signing up for these services.
How to Locate Another IP Address
WHOIS is a service that can be used to see who owns a specific domain name. However, they also have a service called WHOIS ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers) that can be used to determine the owner of any IP address you give it.
If you want this information, open the WHOIS ARIN webpage (found here). You should see a search bar on this webpage in the upper right-hand corner. Enter your desired IP address into this search bar, hit enter, and you will be taken to a page containing the ownership information for that IP address.
You will see many different types of information on the results page, including Name, Handle, Net Type, and Organization. You will likely want the organization’s information, including details like City, State, and Country.