Is It Illegal To Find Someones Ip Address
Is IP Grabbing Illegal? (All Questions Answered) – SmartyDNS
Your IP address is how you communicate with the Internet. Without it, that wouldn’t be possible.
Since it’s so important, you have to wonder – is IP grabbing illegal? Is it illegal to track an IP address?
We’ll answer those questions (and more) in this quick five-minute article.
Is IP Grabbing Illegal – Yes or No?
First, what is IP grabbing?
Well, it’s when someone uses a third-party service to “grab” your IP address. For example, they might use Grabify. It lets them create a link which they can send to you. If you access it, they’ll be able to see your IP address (alongside other information) on their end, like this:
If they click “More Info” on the right, they can even see your local IP address – the one your device uses on your network.
So is IP grabbing illegal?
Nope. There’s no specific law preventing someone from targeting you with an IP grabbing tool. Your IP address is pretty much public information at this point – just like your street address or phone number.
However, what someone does with your IP address can become illegal.
Here’s When IP Grabbing Is Against the Law
When the person grabbing it decides to DDoS you (basically, force you offline with cyber attacks). They can target your network with a DDoS attack because they know your IP address. In most places, doing this is illegal. DoS attacks, however, might not always be illegal because they’re weaker than DDoS attacks. If someone targets you with them constantly, though, you can contact the the person who grabbed your IP address tries using it to remotely hack your computer. Normally, an IP address isn’t enough to do that, but some skilled hackers could abuse Shared Resources to perform such a cyber attack. They could also use it to scan for open ports, which they then try to exploit to take over your someone uses IP grabbing to target you with phishing attacks. For example, they use it to find who your ISP is, and then they target them with phishing and vishing attacks.
Is IP Tracking Illegal?
It sounds like it should be, but it normally isn’t. It’s how websites keep track of their users, and how they display ads on the Internet. Businesses also use it for all sorts of B2B purposes (marketing, delivering services, analytics, etc. ).
As long as they meet any legal data processing requirements (like the GDPR), there are no conflicts with the law.
Is It Illegal for an Individual to Track Your IP Address?
Again, not really. They can freely use services like IP Logger or IP Tracker to keep tabs on your IP address. There’s no specific law against that.
But if they track your IP address for illegal purposes (harassment, stalking, DDoS-ing, cyber attacks, etc. ), it obviously goes against the law.
Should You Hide Your IP Address?
That’s up to you.
If you want to enjoy more privacy, and not have websites and random people track it, you should definitely do it. The same goes if you don’t want hackers abusing it or using it to DDoS you.
Plus, you get to enjoy other perks if you hide your IP address:
The ability to prevent anyone from finding out what country and city you are from + who your ISP is and what your ZIP code can bypass geo-restrictions and unblock different websites and online services – like Netflix or Pandora can also bypass firewalls at work and school. Also, you can get around government censorship since it also relies on firewalls to block hiding your IP address, you make it much harder for advertisers to track your online movements and spam you with personalized might be able to bypass geographical price discrimination. That’s when sites display different prices based on your geo-location. Hiding your IP address means websites won’t be able to see your geo-location rrenting becomes safer because wannabe hackers, lawyers, and copyright trolls can’t see your IP address in the swarm risk of a cybercriminal logging it and selling it on the dark bans won’t stop you from gaming online or posting on forums.
How Can You Hide Your IP Address?
These are the most convenient ways to do it:
1. Use a VPN
This is an online service that masks your IP address and encrypts your traffic. Here’s how the process works:
You download and install a VPN app on your use the app to connect to a VPN app and the server establish a secure connection between data that passes through that connection is encrypted end-to-end (only the client and server can encrypt/decrypt it) you visit a website, your connection requests go to it through the VPN website receives the requests from the VPN server, so it only sees the server’s IP else who tries looking up your IP address will also only see the server’s address.
Overall, a VPN is a great way to protect your privacy. Plus, by encrypting your traffic, it makes sure that:
Hackers can’t abuse vulnerable WiFi networks to monitor your and surveillance agencies can’t spy on your online can’t throttle your bandwidth anymore.
Looking for a reliable VPN service?
Here at SmartyDNS we offer high-speed VPN servers with military grade 256-bit AES encryption and highly secure VPN protocols (OpenVPN, SoftEther and IKEv2), and we we adhere to a strict no-log policy.
Our VPN servers act as proxy servers and we also offer Smart DNS service that allows you to unblock 300+ geo-restricted websites around the world.
We offer convenient VPN apps for Windows, Mac, iPhone / iPad, Android and Fire TV / Stick, and extensions for Chrome and Firefox browsers.
Special offer! Get SmartyDNS for $ 2. 9 per month!
Yes, and we’ll also get your 30-day money-back guarantee.
Сэкономьте 63% сейчас
2. Use a Proxy
A proxy server works similar to a VPN – it intercepts your connection requests to the web, and forwards them on your behalf. So any site you visit will only see the proxy server’s IP address.
However, unlike a VPN, proxies don’t offer powerful encryption. Sometimes, they don’t offer any at all.
So you get some privacy by hiding your IP address, but your traffic might not be secure. Also, if you use a free proxy that’s run by a malicious actor, they could log your data.
Generally, you should only use a proxy if you need to unblock a web page. If you need security on top of that, use a VPN. Instead of getting separate services, consider using a VPN whose servers double as proxies. It’s much cheaper.
3. Use Mobile Data or Switch WiFi Networks
If you’re on your mobile and want to change your IP address realf fast, try switching from WiFi data to mobile data.
You’ll use your mobile provider’s network instead of your WiFi network’s ISP, so you’ll get a different IP address.
What if you have a limited mobile data plan and normally use WiFi, though?
In that case, you can switch WiFi networks to change your IP address.
4. Ask Your ISP to Change It
They assigned you your current IP address, so you can ask them to change it. Maybe see if they can offer a dynamic IP address too (one that changes at regular intervals).
If you already have a dynamic IP address, you can usually change it by restarting your router.
Can You Hide Your IP Address with Tor?
Yes, you can do that. Just like a VPN, your connections will go to the Internet through a server. So everybody will see the IP address of the Tor server you’re using.
But we have to warn you – Tor has had and continues to have issues with IP leaks:
In 2017, the TorMoil issue leaked users’ IP might leak your IP address when you try to open Windows DRM rrent clients can sometimes leak your IP address. Certain file types (like PDFs) can bypass proxy settings, causing Tor to leak your IP address.
Besides that, you’ll also get pretty slow speeds because there are only around 6, 000 servers for over two million users.
Is IP Grabbing Illegal? The Bottom Line
Not unless the person grabbing your IP address wants to use it to do something illegal – like DDoS-ing you or hacking into your computer.
For normal purposes, IP grabbing (and tracking) is generally legal. If you’re worried it violates your privacy, use a VPN to hide your IP address. It’s the easiest and most convenient way to do it. If you know other methods to mask your IP address (other than the ones we already mentioned), go ahead and tell us about them in the comments.
Technology vector created by freepik –
Tracking IP address locations: is it legal? – Lead Forensics
IP address tracking is a popular addition to many digital marketing mixes, helping improve audience understanding and boost lead generation. However, there has been a question surrounding IP addresses and how different governing bodies regard their status within data protection regulations. IP addresses come in many forms, and experts have had difficulties calculating where they best sit within data categories. Data regulations always strive to protect us as individuals, and ensure our data is treated with care and respect, but how does this work for our IP addresses? And what does this mean for businesses using IP tracking?
What is an IP address?
An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a unique identifier assigned to an electronic device, enabling it to connect with the internet and other networks. This assigned IP address allows users to identify and communicate with websites, applications and other devices.
All IP addresses are assigned by your internet service provider (ISP), who procure the addresses from IANA (the internet assigned numbers authority), where all IP addresses are managed and distributed globally. The growing number of electronic devices in circulation has promoted the development of a new IP address format, shifting from a 32-bit number in 4 parts to a 128-bit hexadecimal code in 8 parts. This advancement allows IANA to ensure enough IP addresses can be distributed to support the global demand for increased electronic connectivity and digital dependence.
IP addresses are not new, they have been a vital part of our online world for a few decades now. They enable us to pass data easily between devices and platforms, without the need to download information manually onto a CD or other external storage for transfer.
Using an IP address tracker allows businesses to gain some exciting insights, including the locations of their website visitors, contributing to advanced web analytics. This helps businesses gain a deeper understanding of their online audience, tailor campaigns to better suit their prospects and improve lead generation efforts. They contribute so highly to our digital world, without IP addresses, we would be in serious trouble!
Why the legal questions?
IP addresses remain a questionable topic under data protection regulations, as it’s difficult to find exactly how they fit into laws around classifying and processing data. Here are some of the problems with IP addresses and their place in our data world:
The personal data debate
Each data regulation has a different definition of personal data, but they all follow a similar line. The ICO explains personal data under the GDPR as follows:
Personal data only includes information relating to natural persons who:
can be identified or who are identifiable, directly from the information in question; or
who can be indirectly identified from that information in combination with other information.
Though not all countries work under the GDPR, this definition is broad in that many countries see personal data as information pertaining directly to the individual in question, allowing them to be identified. This includes your name, and often detail such as email address, health information and residence. Any data considered personal, must only be gathered, stored, processed and used in accordance with the necessary legal regulations.
IP addresses fall on a fuzzy line; they are individual to your device, so can be tracked back to you. However, an IP address needs to be public in order to work, and without the personal data held by your ISP matching your name with the IP address, there are very few who can discover your details from nothing but an IP. This being said, ISPs must count IP addresses as personal data, as they hold the ability to match the address to your personal details. In fact, any company capable of extracting identifying data from your IP address must count it as personal data… You see how it gets complicated?!
The disagreement over how IP addresses fell under data regulations continued for some time, and the new release of the GDPR classified them as “online identifiers” under personal data, see the following from the ICO:
‘Online identifiers’ includes IP addresses and cookie identifiers which may be personal data.
Though this uses the term “may be”, we recommend it is always safest to assume IP addresses fall under the category of personal data when they pertain to an individual. Therefore, to track, gather and use them, you will need to ensure you’re working under the correct legal requirements for personal data processing e. g. lawful basis of processing (GDPR).
Static vs dynamic
Another difficulty surrounding the discussion of IP addresses under data regulations stems from the 2 different types of IP address – static and dynamic. Static IP addresses are constant, meaning whenever the device in question connects to the internet, it will always use the same IP address. This makes for a secure and speedy connection but is easier to track. These IP addresses are usually only available on request from an ISP, almost exclusively used by businesses and some large home networks.
A device using a dynamic IP, will change its IP address whenever it connects to the internet. These sorts of IP are commonly used on mobile phones, tablets and laptops, due to their portable nature. These IPs can still be tracked, but it’s very difficult to gain any information from them apart from rough location. Some organizations track these IPs for extra security; banks for example can see a string of dynamic IP addresses from London all accessing the same account, but when there is a login from an IP traced back to the USA or Australia, it could be cause for suspicion.
A large debate was struck surrounding the place of dynamic IP addresses within the bounds of “personal data”– as they are ever-changing and almost impossible to gain data from – do they still count as personal data? The answer to this question has never been fully finalised; but as the ISP can still match a dynamic IP address to the person using it in their records, and data regulations don’t separate static and dynamic IPs in their stance, it’s again safest to assume IP addresses are classed as “personal data”- irrelevant of their static or dynamic status.
What does all this mean for B2B organizations who want to track IP address locations?
We’ll start by easing your mind – for B2B purposes, IP address tracking is legal! Many data regulations are not inclusive of business data, such as business name, business address and contact number – this is all considered public. Business IP addresses fall under this umbrella, meaning they can be tracked and used by B2B organizations.
Due to the regulations and questions surrounding IP addresses, tools that track them for business benefit do not reveal the visiting IP addresses to the user, acting as an extra precautionary measure to increase IP tracking safety and compliance. Instead, these tools extract the necessary data then discard the IP address, ensuring IP tracking is never used maliciously. The tools are only able to extract valuable data from static IP’s used by businesses – any visiting IPs not pertaining to businesses (and therefore not providing any B2B data) are instantly deleted. This ensures B2B organizations can legally continue to gain advanced website analytics, improve campaign success and lead generation, thanks to IP address tracking.
The best way to ensure total data compliance when searching for an IP tracking solution, is to go to the experts, and use a reputable software with all necessary documentation in place. That’s where we come in…
Lead Forensics is an advanced lead generation solution using IP tracking to identify the businesses visiting your website. Placing a small piece of code on your website, Lead Forensics monitors the IP’s visiting your site, and runs them through a database of business contacts to find a match. Your team can see the name and address of visiting businesses, including the contact details and visit information needed to create an impactful, instant follow up. We are proud to produce a fully compliant solution, working with you to ensure all data regulations are consistently met with ease.
10, 000 B2B organizations worldwide use Lead Forensics to fuel their sales pipeline with high-quality leads, gaining ROI in excess of 8, 000%. Find out more – book your free demo today!
What can someone do with my IP address? – NordVPN
There are dangers to someone knowing your IP address, but they’re rarely discussed. Criminals can use your IP to launch various cyberattacks and scams against you and others. Before we begin, however, let’s start with finding out what your personal IP address is: What is my IP? By the end of this post, you’ll know what to protect yourself against and discover ways to hide your IP address. Pretty can someone find my IP address? Your IP address is a unique string of numbers assigned to you by your ISP – like a delivery address for online traffic. If you connect to a different Wi-Fi or move house, your IP address will change along with your ISPs use dynamic IP addresses, which aren’t fixed to your device, but you can have a static IP if you wish to (you can learn more about different types of IP addresses here). For example, if you want your computer IP address to always stay the same, you’ll be able to specify that through the device’s settings. This can be useful when port-forwarding, if you want certain data to be sent directly from your router to your computer IP your IP address holds certain information about you, someone may want to use it for malicious purposes. There plenty of ways people can get hold of your IP address. Here are just a few:If you torrent files. When you download content from torrent sites, every member of the swarm (total seeders and leechers) can see your IP address. All they need to do is check the list of borrowing your device. If somebody borrows or uses your computer, they can find out what your IP address is in seconds, as there are countless free websites that let you do an email. If you send an email to someone, they can check the header of the message, which could contain your IP address. Yahoo! and Microsoft Outlook are known to include IP addresses in the email icking on a link. Any link you click on will need to provide your iP address for the server at the other end to deliver the content provided by the link. Whoever owns that server will see your IP a VPN hide my IP address? Yes, it does. A VPN completely hides your IP address and encrypts your internet connection. Even better, a VPN prevents third parties like your ISP from eavesdropping on your data. Your online activity cannot be traced back to you, giving you a powerful layer of rdVPN has more than 5500 servers in 59 countries, providing you with the best speeds available. With one NordVPN account, you can protect up to six different devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more. You can also install it on your router and secure gadgets that don’t support VPN functionality can jump from one server to another in seconds, changing your IP address and masking your location. Protect your online privacy out NordVPN on the latest cyber news and tipsWhat can people do with your IP? While your IP address won’t give away sensitive information like your phone number or apartment position, hackers can still use your IP against you. If a cybercriminal knows your IP address, the consequences can be devastating:Someone can get your location and intrude on your privacy in real lifeYour IP address shows what city you’re in, so if someone ill-intentioned finds it out, you could be in trouble. Let’s say you’ve announced that you’re going on holiday on your social media. A criminal only needs to do a little extra digging to find your house and burgle it while you’re meone can use your IP to hack your deviceThe internet uses ports as well as your IP address to connect. There are thousands of ports for every IP address, and a hacker who has your IP can try all of those ports to brute-force a connection, taking over your phone for example and stealing your a criminal does get access to your device, they could also install malware on it, which could expose your meone can impersonate you to get hold of your IP addressYour ISP could reveal your IP address to someone else. Criminals who know your name on social media can contact your ISP and try to impersonate you or use a vishing attack to steal your personal details. Remember that telecom operators are only humans who use systems with vast amounts of personally identifiable information. Employers can track your activityIPs are owned by ISPs, and each IP is assigned to a user. When you’re connected to your work network your employers could potentially see and track everything you do online – giving you hardly any privacy at all. A hacker can hit you with a DDoS attackIf a hacker has your IP address, they could harm you with a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack. A DDoS attack uses an army of computers controlled by a hacker to flood your device with traffic so it disconnects from the internet and completely shuts bercriminals can frame you for illegal activityHackers are known to use hacked IP addresses to download illegal content that threatens national security as well as anything else they don’t want traced back to them. Protect your IP address, and you will protect do I stop someone from using my IP address? You should always protect any personally identifiable information even if you think the risks do not apply to you. With enough determination, a bad actor can stitch together an entire identity just by going online, and your IP could be the starting are three ways to protect your IP address and prevent yourself from being exploited by hackers: Change your privacy settingsChange the settings on all your instant messaging as well as any other apps to “private” and don’t accept calls or messages from people you don’t know. Hackers are known to gain access to your IP address through messaging apps like Skype. Update your firewall and routerA criminal can hack your router remotely and retrieve your IP address, especially if you’re still using the default one. Change the password of your router regularly and be sure to use a long mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters. Use a VPNA VPN will protect your IP address and your private information. By routing your online data through a VPN server with its own IP address, you can prevent websites from logging information about your device and location. While you might be principally interested in VPNs for their IP-switching functionality, they also come with a range of additional other benefits can a VPN offer? A VPN will establish an encrypted tunnel between your device and a VPN server. That means that no one can spy on your data as it moves from your device to the server — not even your internet service provider (ISP) has never been more valuable. Your ISP can monitor your activity and sell that information to advertisers and other third parties. Hackers can steal your passwords and use your private details to launch phishing attacks. It’s vital that you protect your rdVPN provides a number of extra features that you might find particularly useful. Our CyberSec system will enhance your protection against malware by shielding you from high-risk websites and other known threats. When Kill Switch is enabled, you can avoid any unexpected data exposure. And with the NordLynx protocol, you can enjoy unrivaled speeds, without compromising on out NordVPN on the latest cyber news and tips
Zen Bahar
Verified author
Zen likes to use her cybersecurity knowledge to help protect the privacy and freedom of others, otherwise, you can find her playing with paints in her studio in London.
Frequently Asked Questions about is it illegal to find someones ip address
Is IP tracking illegal in the US?
We’ll start by easing your mind – for B2B purposes, IP address tracking is legal! Many data regulations are not inclusive of business data, such as business name, business address and contact number – this is all considered public.
What happens if someone finds your IP address?
However, if a hacker knows your IP address, they can use it to seize very valuable information, including your location and online identity. Using this information as a starting point, they could potentially hack your device, steal your identity, and more.Oct 8, 2021
Can you find someone else’s IP address?
Can I Track Someone’s IP Address? Yes. As long as the device is on, connected to yours and doesn’t have a proxy server or VPN obscuring it, you can track the IP address. If you want to find the IP of a device you’re connected to, you can use the “netstat -an” command in the command prompt.Oct 4, 2021
