Does IP Address Reveal my Physical Location? - Comments Page 2

Hey Bob,

You mentioned the proxy server Anonymizer doesn’t retain IP logs, thus they can’t be compelled to give up their clients. For an added layer of protection, do you know of any reputable proxy servers, off shore who aren’t subject to the United States courts in the first place?

EDITOR'S NOTE: I think PeaceFire would be the best place to look for that.

i have yahoo im messenger and i also have a web cam and this girl got pissed off at me cause i would not let her see me on cam. so she told me that she was going to report my ip address to the cops... IS THAT POSSIBLE????

EDITOR'S NOTE: Of course it's possible. But it's also laughable. SILLYGIRL: Hello, police? I was chatting online and this girl wouldn't let me see her face on the webcam. POLICE: Uhhh, your point is...?

It is very easy to find out your IP addres you dont have to do that stuff just go to http://whatismyipaddress.com/ its pretty easy.

So I'm curious, about how long do most ISP's store information on customer IP addresses? (e.g. date and time IP address was used) Is it just forever or after you quit using their service?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Neither... most likely something in between. Figure on something between 18 and 36 months.

Hey Bob, I have a similar problem like the guy with the drugs, I was on youtube.com, I asked a question about drugs and this cop started arguing with me. He then threatened me saying he was going to find my IP address and try and bust me. Is this possible? I am very nervous, and yes, he is a cop for sure.

EDITOR'S NOTE: It's not possible for him to find you, unless he gets a court order. If this all happened on Youtube, it's probably not possible for him to even get your IP address. But even if you exposed your IP (via email or chat) the likelihood of anything happening to close to nil. Can you imagine what a busy judge would say if a cop petitioned him on the grounds that "some kid on youtube was talking about drugs" ?? It's absurd.

i was on youtube and some guy tracked my IP address, so it is very possible. (he even proved it) What is the worst that can happen to me or my computer?

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm not sure what you mean by "tracked." You mean he proved that he has your IP address? That means next to nothing, and does NOT reveal your physical location, nor does it imply that anyone can hack into your computer.

Sorry to rain on all of your parades here, but i was just trolling and stumbled upon this site. If someone has your IP (which is easy to get), they CAN most definitely among other things find out who you are, where you live ect. Basically if you have a comp connected to the internet, anything put on it is up for grabs to anyone with a bit of knowledge who isn't to fussed about breaking a few laws.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Bzzzzt! Thanks for playing, but you don't get a prize. Your post contained no helpful information, and only serves the purpose of scaremongering. Case in point: ALL IP addresses assigned to AOL resolve to the physical location of a datacaenter in Virginia. So the IP tells you nothing about the location of that AOL user. Same is true for most large ISPs.

I am a member of a dating website and operate under a pseudonym as am very cautious about giving out personal info. Yesterday, I received a threatening email from a user on this site, a most unpleasant person, and it ended with my real name. How on earth could he have got this - it is not posted anywhere. I am using the latest Norton Internet Security and there are no warnings of a security breach. Any clues? Has me quite worried. Thank you in advance if you can advise.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I suppose it's possible that you communicated with someone on this site who was not really who they appeared to be. Or someone who works for the dating site may be acting in violation of your privacy. In any case, I would ignore that email - do not respond.

My son 'hacked' into a college administrators school email account. He did this by accurately guessing the password. He did nothing but read email but their systems log indicated the times he logged on and the administrator has stated that he didn't log on at those times.

My question is whether it's possible to track him back to our personal physical address. We are using a wireles network, unregistered router and a good firewall system as well as a random ip. Again, aside from the privacy issue, no crimminal activity took place.

Hi Bob, when I upload my videos to YouTube, can YouTube use my IP address to trace back to my computer? If YouTube can trace back to my computer using my IP address, could I stay anonymous by using the proxy server Anonymizer?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes and Yes. But "tracing back to your computer" is not the same as "identifying you personally."

Hi Bob, I've found an add-on for IE8 called "Anonymous Browsing Toolbar" (http://www.ieaddons.com/en/details/Security/Anonymous_Browsing_Toolbar/). What do you think of it as a free solution instead of Anonymizer?

EDITOR'S NOTE: It's the same idea -- a proxy server.

Once I stumbled upon a site from a friend request to see it. I watched it. But because of my curiosity, I once typed the name of the site in google. I found that the site name is not mentioned and in the bottom it is written that the website name has been removed from the search results due to some issues. I think it was that website. Therefore will it let me find my ip-address as I violated the rule without knowing and will I be offended? Please tell me, I am really nervous!!

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm not sure, but it sounds like you stumbled into a website, and now you are concerned that the operators of that site will be able to identify you. You need not worry, unless you knowingly provided them with your contact info.

hi, yes I find out my IP address and all other IP details at ip-details.com. And, some more option like domain info search, ip route map, internet speed test and ip details on your website, etc., these are the other benefit of this site. Its very useful and free of cost.

Bob, Does my ISP, or any other entity/hardware outside of my own PC, keep a record of my internet history? Thanks for everything.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The best answer I can give is "most likely." See http://askbobrankin.com/private_browsing.html and http://askbobrankin.com/search_privacy.html

hi,

most of the time the ip locators pin points only the location of ur isp provider.The degree of proximity may range fron 10 to 500 kms.u try this site and check http://www.ip-details.com/ip-search

I found the site ip-details .It's shows the location of ip address.

Hi Bob,

If I view someone's blog and they have a visitor tracker on it can they find me? I heard some of those things are really advanced and can give out your ip address, city, state, internet service provider name, everything. I don't know much about computers at all. And that person's blog...uhh, let's just say I don't want them ever finding out where me and my family live. :'(

EDITOR'S NOTE: You don't need a visitor tracker to get the IP address of someone who visits your website. It's recorded in the server log on EVERY site you visit. And yes, SOMETIMES it can reveal your city, but NOT your identity. And more often than not, the geographic info associated with your IP address is not a reliable indicator of where you live. Don't worry.

Could a really good hacker find out your home address if they have your IP address? That's what I worry about sometimes!

EDITOR'S NOTE: As previously mentioned, not on the basis of your IP address. If you reveal other information, such as your email address, and it's the same as your name, that could make it much easier, though.

Thanks Bob. Actually what I was worried about, perhaps needlessly so, was if they could hack into your ISP's database or whatever and find out who you are that way. Since once they have your IP, you know, they would be able to tell who your ISP is, usually.

Hi Bob. I am sure that anyone can trace the route taken by an packet send to you. All he has to do is just watch it being rerouted until it reaches your computer. If you are using a National ISP your home address is their address but never the less you foreign address that the packet will be rerouted to is your own personal IP. Can he possibly trace the routed packet from the distributer or thats as far as he can trace.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The IP belongs to the ISP, not you. Unless the ISP turns over your physical address, the trail stops there.