Why You Should Hide Your IP

By now, most non-specialists have heard the
term ‘IP address,’ although they haven’t delved into what this particular
technology is. How Stuff Works
defines the IP address as a unique identifier for a specific PC on a
network, similar to a building address in the real world. More importantly, IP
addresses can be used to track users’ locations, down to the city, and
sometimes the street they originate from. Naturally, this is an uncomfortable
situation for anyone who wants to use the internet yet still stay anonymous. If
a user intends to hide, IP address locators can easily find them. So why would
a user need to protect their IP?

Stop Advertisement Tracking

Ads are among the most annoying things on
the internet. What’s more, advertising usually tracks your usage of the web so
it can serve up relevant titles to encourage you to click on products. Chron mentions that Google AdSense can
track your IP location, ensuring that it delivers advertising that focuses on
where you are at that moment. Google’s Ad Sense tracks and records movement,
allowing it to predict your location, so hiding your IP address stops the
collection of this data by the big tech company. Hiding your IP saves you from
having to deal with ads that pinpoint where you are, making you less of a
target to psychological manipulation.

Hiding your Activity from ISPs

Your internet service provider is extremely
interested in what you do while online. Science
ABC mentions that ISPs can track what data comes into any
individual PC, and use that information as they see fit, even limiting what
sites a user is allowed to visit. Hiding your IP helps to curb that invasion of
privacy since the ISP isn’t aware of which originating computer the data comes
from. The worst part about ISP tracking (aside from the blatant disregard for
individual privacy rights) is that no one is sure when their ISP is going to
use that information against them.

Using Location-Locked Content

IP addresses are just
like addresses in that they can help a server determine where in the world the
user it. Naturally, content distribution websites that offer an affordable MRI scan, such as streaming medical
centers to treat injuries for athletes, use this to their advantage by limiting
the availability of their service by geographical location. For users who have
already paid for a service, being unable to use it while traveling is a severe
drawback. To this end, if you subscribe to Netflix or Spotify, hiding your IP
would allow you to enjoy your streaming services, even in another part of the
world.

Bypassing Organizational Restrictions

Some work server configurations limit
access to specific websites. While it is useful in controlling worker productivity
by limiting the ability to access social media networks, for example, it can be
severely limiting for someone needing to research specific topics. Hiding IP
addresses allows you to directly access sites that a work IP filter may be
blocking. It also stops employers from tracking IP usage through their
company’s network.

Easy Methods for IP Hiding

Proxy servers are great for hiding IP addresses.
There is even an entire network dedicated to bouncing users through it to
completely hide their originating address. The interface is called Tor, and it
is simple to use, but at times, because of the amount of servers data has to
pass through, it can be slow. Alternatively, signing up for a VPN can help you
to hide your IP. There are free VPNs available, but the paid versions are far
better options for securing yourself online. For a decision of this importance,
paying for a service is generally worth the money.