Anybody with a little know-how can find, view and “capture” your IP address. With the right technical know-how and a computer trick here and there, companies, government institutions, and the typical nerdy IT guy—and even your annoying teenage neighbor—can spy on your IP address.
They can sniff out your IP address without your permission. But why would someone even care to know your IP address? People have different reasons for wanting to know it. And a lot of ways to get it.
Why People Want to Spy On Your IP Address
The three most common reasons people want to track your IP address are:
Yikes. Let’s look at each of those reasons more closely.
Businesses want to track your IP
A business may want to know your IP address because they simply want to run in through an IP lookup service to find out where “you” are located.
Let’s say an online retail customer whose mailing address says, “New York, NY” and buys thousands of dollars of fancy merchandise from a company. However, when that company captures the customer’s IP address, it figures out his location is really Russia or China. That’s a real problem.
In fact, it’s common for advertisers, companies, and service websites to “grab” your IP addresses if you’re visiting their site or if you click on ads on their website.
By spying on your IP address, they can:
Using your IP to block your access
By knowing your IP address, an online subscription service could block you from accessing their content, because a sporting/special event is otherwise blacked out in your area. An online forum could also “block” access to their chat room by knowing your IP address.
It’s not that people can “use” your IP address, it’s more that by knowing it they can track you, target you, or block you.
Law enforcement can spy on your IP
With a subpoena and your IP address, law enforcement can ask your ISP for your name and home address and gain permission to häçk into your emails. If they have reason enough, they can spy on your Internet activity.
How Someone Can Spy on Your IP Address
There are at least 11 ways people on the Internet can get your IP address:
They can sniff out your IP address without your permission. But why would someone even care to know your IP address? People have different reasons for wanting to know it. And a lot of ways to get it.
Why People Want to Spy On Your IP Address
The three most common reasons people want to track your IP address are:
- Businesses track you to gather advertising info on you
- People want to block your access
- Law enforcement can subpoena your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for permission to monitor you
Yikes. Let’s look at each of those reasons more closely.
Businesses want to track your IP
A business may want to know your IP address because they simply want to run in through an IP lookup service to find out where “you” are located.
Let’s say an online retail customer whose mailing address says, “New York, NY” and buys thousands of dollars of fancy merchandise from a company. However, when that company captures the customer’s IP address, it figures out his location is really Russia or China. That’s a real problem.
In fact, it’s common for advertisers, companies, and service websites to “grab” your IP addresses if you’re visiting their site or if you click on ads on their website.
By spying on your IP address, they can:
- Find out what country or state you’re in
- Find out what city you’re in…within a few miles (sometimes city blocks)
- Piece together a profile of your interests or online behaviors
Using your IP to block your access
By knowing your IP address, an online subscription service could block you from accessing their content, because a sporting/special event is otherwise blacked out in your area. An online forum could also “block” access to their chat room by knowing your IP address.
It’s not that people can “use” your IP address, it’s more that by knowing it they can track you, target you, or block you.
Law enforcement can spy on your IP
With a subpoena and your IP address, law enforcement can ask your ISP for your name and home address and gain permission to häçk into your emails. If they have reason enough, they can spy on your Internet activity.
How Someone Can Spy on Your IP Address
There are at least 11 ways people on the Internet can get your IP address:
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