The IP Address or Internet Protocol Address is the unique identification number are given to each device such as a router, computer, smartphone, server, telephone, etc as their license plate. If put in simple terms, your internet service provider provides you with a unique IP address that could be used to track your device among billions of devices or networks in the world.
All computers and smartphones have a unique IP address that is used to communicate with other devices across the world.
In fact, no device has the potential to share information with other devices or communicate with another system without having a valid and unique Internet Protocol.
Have you ever wondered how the internet brings the relevant website that you search on your browsers? Computers do not understand the texts or human language. As soon as you type the name of the website you are looking for, your device starts looking for its IP address. Once it has been found, it will return with the relevant URL.
What Does IP Address Tell About You?
A lot of information about the device and its users can be revealed by the IP address. In fact, investigators only need the Internet Protocol address of a computer or smartphone to know who the owner is, the current location of the device, the internet service provider, and more.
The IP address discloses your current location, the city and country you are based in, the internet service provider of your device, and the owner’s details. As much as useful it sounds, people can also misuse to fetch sensitive information and use it for fraudulent purposes.
By getting access to the IP address of your device, they can find out your hobbies, current location, the previous websites you visited, and other personal details. That is why it is important to hide your IP address so that people and third-party apps do not get access to your personal information.
As IP addresses are assigned to each device by the Internet service provider, they have the right to track your online activities anytime they want. In fact, some countries have made it mandatory for internet service providers to monitor the user’s regular online activities. This is how the government is able to track your phone number, address, bank details, credit/debit card numbers, and other personal information.
How Your IP Address Can Help Online?
You must have heard of the current hype around artificial intelligence. Well, this trending technology has made it possible for retailers and online eCommerce websites to know about your previous purchases, buying patterns, online browsing habits, and the products and services that interest you the most.
How do you think do popular online marketplaces like Amazon and Alibaba manage to offer you a personalized shopping experience? They use your IP addresses to find out about your previous purchases. Once they manage to collect this information, they give you the relevant recommendations i.e. the similar products you might be interested in.
However, there is an option to hide your Internet Protocol address from third-party apps and software. All you got to do is download VPN (virtual private network) app and activate it. This way you will be able to perform an online search without revealing your IP address to third parties. It is a great way to protect your device and information from getting revealed.
Types of IP Addresses
Internet protocol is mainly classified into two types i.e. Private and Public. Neither public nor private IPs can be copied. This is because each network has a unique internet protocol that can’t be used for another network or device.
Basically, the IP address you receive from your internet service provider is called the Public Internet Protocol Address. All devices that are using one network will have the same IP address, especially when they are using the internet.
The best example is your home network. Your home network mainly comprises all the devices that run on the same router. All these devices share the same IP address when they connect to the internet. This is because the internet service provider has assigned it to your router. So, if any device connects to the internet using this router, they will share the same.
Private IP addresses, on the other hand, are the ones assigned by routers to individual devices. This is done to help the devices find and analyze each other. It is important to note that the private IP address of each device is not revealed to third-party apps or any other company on the internet. The public IP address is the only thing the websites can access to gather information about your device.
What Is My IP Address
Most people consider IP addresses one of the least interesting and extremely technical topics in the digital world. It remains to be the least discussed topic out there. If the research is to be believed, then a majority of computer or mobile users have never even checked their IP addresses, let alone remembering it. As much as unconventional it seems, an IP address is a vital part of your online life. As mentioned before, there is a chance a hacker could access your private and sensitive information just by cracking your internet protocol address.
Another important thing to note is that users are able to communicate with their friends and other relatives through IP addresses only. If there was no IP, your device wouldn’t be able to interact with other devices. You request the internet to provide you with certain information. The internet scans search engines to come up with the requested information and they use your device’s IP address to know where this information is to be sent. Basically, they allow devices to connect and share information in the smoothest and easiest possible way.
Note that your IP address doesn’t remain the same. It changes every time you switch to a different network. For instance, when you are traveling, you no longer use your home Wi-Fi to connect to the internet. You probably connect to the airport and hotel Wi-Fi to get access to internet services. That’s when your IP address also changes, though these addresses are temporary. Even if you are using the Wi-Fi at a restaurant, airport, or other public places, just visit the online IP address tracking and find the current and temporary IP address you are assigned.
Also Read:
