Researchers used a search engine to ascertain that the following sites and services had been accessed from a specific IP address : To see just how much data can be mined from a single IP address, the Canadian Privacy Commissioner’s Office (OPC) funded a study. The result is that more and more people can access your data and figure things out about you. That is why firms often sell data tied to your IP address onto marketing firms. What you do online can be used to make detailed inferences about you. In the US, this isn’t mandatory, but ISPs store web browsing histories next to IP addresses anyway, as the law permits them to sell that data to third parties. In some countries, such as the UK or Australia, web browsing histories must be stored by ISPs on behalf of the government. In addition to Googl e and the websites you visit, your internet service provider (ISP) is also often tracking your browsing history and keeping it on file next to your IP address.
IP addresses, therefore, an important way for websites to track users online, although they also use a range of other sneaky tactics. So when you visit a website, buy something, or just search for something on Google - your IP address is being logged. They know if it's your first time on the site or if you are a repeat customer, what you have bought on previous occasions, and by extrapolation, what you might desire in the future.
By keeping tabs on IP addresses, companies are able to build profiles of their customers. IP address trackingĪs we've already mentioned, every time you visit a website your IP address is seen, and is usually logged. We will look at how IPs are used most often, and in what circumstances it is vital to protect your IP with a VPN.
In this article, we will explain everything it is possible to do with an IP address. Unfortunately, the way that IP addresses work also means that they can reveal your location. Without your unique IP address, websites wouldn't be able to route traffic to you. It's true that an IP address is just a bunch of numbers, but those numbers are unique to you. You could be forgiven for thinking: "What's the big deal - it's just a number." If you are new to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), you may be wondering why exactly you need to hide your IP address.