What are some reasons that you might need an IP address mask? Well there are many reasons out there, some of them legitimate, some of them not so legitimate. For good measure, we'll go over a few reasons why you might need to hide your IP. First we are going to have to talk about what an IP address actually is.

IP stands for Internet Protocol, and everyone on the Internet is assigned one. There are two basic types, one of which is an Internet IP, and the other is a Network IP. A network IP is one that's not actually seen outside of one specific computer and is used for file transfers within that particular network. The Internet IP is the one that is broadcast to the entire world, and is used if you need to set up a webpage, but is also the way that other computers and networks interact with you.

Every single web site out there has an IP address, and though you might think you never see it, you actually see it all the time. Usually you see it in the form of letters, as the address of the website is actually assigned to an IP. This is actually a form of an IP address mask, though it is usually referred to as DNS Routing.

What are some reason that you might need an IP address mask? Well, let's take a look at one reason that is actually pretty commonplace around the world. Say you want to play a game, a massively multilayer game that is restricted to users in a certain nation. If you are in Britain and the game is restricted to US players only, then you'll need to find a way to hide your IP. In many pieces of software that allow this, you will find that you have the option to set your IP to a US IP address, which would allow you to get into the game without any issue.

For those who tend to use IRC, you may find that your IP address has been banned for some reason. This may not necessarily mean that you have done anything wrong. It may mean someone else has done something wrong, so wrong in fact that they managed to have their entire region banned on that particular IRC server. Here you can definitely see a reason to hide your IP.

Those are all very good reasons, but then you might not be inclined to use an IP address mask for any of those reasons. Maybe you just don't want people to know who you are, and that's as good of a reason as any of them! There are many piece of software out there that you can use for an IP address mask, and they all have many different functions. Figure out which functions you actually need and then you will know which software package is going to work for you.

Your privacy is very important, so make sure that you protect it at all costs. Some might say it is illegal, or immoral, but know that the simple act of hiding your IP address is nowhere near illegal, or even immoral. This is just a way to keep you defended, and in today's world staying protected is the most important thing of all.

Andy Green is a part of the A-Z Proxies development team, the number one Internet proxy list. You can check out Andy's review of Hide My IP which is a software which will provide an IP Address mask.