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It's true that your IP address is no secret.
It's a basic part of internet communication protocols to send your IP address
whenever you connect to another site, request a web page, chat, play an online
game, etc. Without your IP address, the computer on the other end wouldn't know
where to send the reply.
But that doesn't mean that Evildoers can find
your house if they know your IP address. Each time you go online (if you have
dialup) or each time you start your computer (if you have cable or dsl) you will
be assigned an IP address, randomly selected from a pool of IP's assigned to
your Internet service provider (ISP). WHOIS Your ISP
So a person MIGHT be able to get a general idea
of your geographic location, based on your IP address, by doing a lookup on the
WHOIS database, but that will only tell them the physical location of your ISP
-- not YOUR home address.
And if you use a large regional or nationwide
ISP, the IP lookup probably reveals nothing of interest. For example, if you are
an AOL subscriber, your IP address lookup will show the location as Dulles,
Virginia -- regardless of where you live. When The Law Comes A Knockin'
Of course there is an exception to every rule.
If Joe or Jane User calls your ISP and wants to know who was using a certain IP
address last Tuesday, the ISP will tell them to go away. But if an officer of
the law hands your ISP a court order to reveal that information, they must do
so. Your ISP's logs will enable them to determine which customer was using a
certain IP address on a certain date & time, and they must reveal that
information if a court has found probable cause that a crime was committed by
that person.
But for the truly paranoid (or the criminally
inclined) there are ways to surf the web anonymously. The Anonymizer service
will act as a proxy between you and your ISP, and they claim that your
information cannot be subpoenaed because they do not store it. What About Email
Addresses?
The same concepts apply to your email address.
The part that follows the "@" sign is your ISP's domain name. And given the
domain name, one can determine the ISP's physical location, but nothing
personally identifying about the email user without a court order.
Web-based email accounts are not truly
anonymous, either. Even if you don't provide your real name when signing up,
they can capture your IP address and track you through your ISP if necessary.
Other Considerations
It's much more likely that you or your children
will reveal your physical location the old fashioned way -- by just blurting it
out. Kids who chat or play online games should be reminded often that they
should never reveal any personal information, including their last name, phone
number or home address.
Oh, and if you have any spyware or viruses on
your system, all bets are off. These things are designed to violate your
privacy. If you need help with scanning your system for spyware, adware and
other unwanted pests, see my articles
How can I avoid computer viruses? and Spy, Counter-Spy (http://www.askbobrankin.com/spy_counter-spy.html)
for details on how to protect yourself from those risks.
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