Location from IP address

Every device connected to the public Internet is assigned a unique number known as an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

IP addresses consist of four numbers separated by periods and look something like 127.0.0.1.

Since these numbers are usually assigned to internet service providers within region-based blocks, an IP address can often be used to identify the region or country from which a computer is connecting to the Internet. An IP address can sometimes be used to show the user's general location.

Knowing your IP address can allow you (and others you tell) to access services running on your machine such as online games, servers (FTP, web, mail), and remote access utilities (PCAnywhere, GoToMyPC, MS Remote Desktop).

As far as your exact physical location is concerned, no, people won't be able to track down your house without a subpoena.

That is correct. Not just anyone has access to more specific details.

With the IP address a person can locate the originating server. Your ISP will be able to use the information they have to narrow down the search as to the user and the time of connection. And seeing that they have your details (they do after all bill you right?) then they'll be able to figure where the certain activity originated from.

That means if someone were to issue a death threat to the leader of their country, the powers that be would quickly get a magistrate on the phone and have a subpoena or a warrant faxed to them and they will be well within the law to have the ISP divulge all their information including logs and customer details.

So you're not actually anonymous on the internet are you.

When you're on a forum your IP is also logged. From each and every computer you access that forum. So you may think you're clever having multiple accounts but the forum Admin and moderators only have to click a couple of links and see what other aliases have logged in from the same IP address.

In the event that you may misbehave, post illegal content or make defaming remarks about another member the details of your IP address can be acquired by the other parties legal representation via a court order. In fact depending on the misbehaviour of the offending member the Admin may reveal the details of the IP address without legal prompting. Though it will require a court application to get further details pertaining to that IP address.

Be sure to behave while you're online. Your IP address can reveal a lot about yourself.

You can check your own IP address at a site like www.whatismyipaddress.com which is simply displaying the information from your connection to the website.

So remember, you may feel like a faceless entity online but that doesn't mean you're anonymous.