Last updated: November 14, 2022
Do you know what your IP address reveals about you? If this is not the case, we strongly invite you to read our article in order to understand why the latter is so important.
It's no secret the internet is full ofinformation about you. More abstract than a photo, your IP address is nevertheless coveted by many people and companies, more or less well-intentioned.
What is an IP address
For simplicity, an IP address is an identifier unique to each device connecting to a network, mainly like the Internet. This can therefore concern your mobile, tablet, television or even a game console.
This IP address functions as an access code to websites. Without it, sites and applications cannot identify your device, and therefore deny you access.
Important thing to know for the rest of our article, the IP address can be static or dynamic.
In the first case, which can be the example of a corporate computer, the IP address will remain the same until the device is taken out of service.
In the second case, the address may be modified according to the parameters of the Internet service provider. In connecting your mobile phone to the mobile network, the latter will have an IP address. By connecting to a Wi-Fi network from this same phone, you will see this IP address change.
What information reveals the IP address
You will understand, your IP address is necessary to surf the Internet.
Suddenly, this poses a serious problem. By linking your IP address to the fact that you own the device associated with that address, it is very easy for a third party to find out what you are doing on the Internet.
We also explain in an article how to find someone's ip address. here is what information your IP address reveals about you :
Your geolocation
Your IP address allows us to learn more about your geolocation. Don't panic, people searching on your IP address will not have access to your exact address.
This usually indicates the city, region and country in which you are located. It can also reveal the name of your Internet service provider.
This is sufficient data for companies wishing to launch information campaigns targeted by region.
Your advertising preferences
Your IP address reveals a lot about you in advertising. Advertisers are able, by analyzing activities related to your address, to know which ads you are clicking on. And so what are your interests to target yourself even better with advertising.
Your online activities and downloads
Some of your activities, such as participation in forums or torrent downloads, are also easily detected by an IP address. For example, it is possible for a government wishing to control you to know if you have downloaded illegal content.
How to prevent this information from being revealed
Without going into excessive psychosis, you should know that several categories of people are interested in your IP address and the information it offers.
Starting with the advertisers, who earn huge amounts of money from the data they collect about you. It also goes through your employer who wants to control your activity during your working hours. The cybercriminals will attempt to use your IP address to place malware on your devices.
Fortunately, there are solutions so that your IP address is not as transparent for the others.
Use a VPN
A Virtual Private Network makes it possible to hide your own IP address by connecting to Internat via one of the IP addresses of the service to which you subscribe. Your activity will then be completely undetectable.
The VPN also allows you to access sites with regional blocking, making them believe that you are present in the destination country. For more information on VPNs, see this article: What is a VPN and how do I use it?
Use a proxy
We are not going to lie to you, this may not be the safest solution. the proxy acts as a filter between your device and the site you are visiting, by changing your IP address. It will only work on certain browsers and will not necessarily protect your data. To learn how to use a proxy, read this tutorial: What is a proxy and how do I use it?
Go through an anonymous network
Some networks, like Tor, guarantees you a certain degree of privacy by making your Internet activities anonymous.
But if you try to do too much, you risk drawing unnecessary attention to yourself. Many illegal activities take place on this type of platform, and are therefore widely monitored by the authorities. For more information on the Tor network, I invite you to read this article: What is Tor and how to install it?
You now know how to protect your IP address !