Is it possible to calculate a person by IP address

There are threats on the Internet that can be found by IP address. Is this really possible?

Actually, no. If someone has this data, they won't be able to find you. So all such remarks during conflicts are completely unfounded and usually come from people who have a vague idea of ​​IP-addresses and their specifics.

And what exactly is an IP address?

If you do not go into technical details, then this is a unique identifier that any device connected to the Internet has. It consists of numbers separated by dots. Like a postal address, an IP address is used for communication: emails are sent to it, requests from sites and other information when working on the web.

IP addresses are either static or dynamic. As the name implies, the former are constant, while the latter change with each connection. There are also concepts such as white and gray IP. White is personal and is allocated only to you, and gray is a common address through which several users access the Network (for example, the entire entrance or even a house).

By default, providers issue gray dynamic addresses, while static and white ones require a separate fee. So, most likely, the person will have a gray dynamic address, which is incredibly difficult to locate.

Can I find someone else's IP address?

Yes, but it's not that easy. To determine the IP, you need to receive a direct request from the user's device. For example, if he sends you an email, the IP address can be viewed in the extended information in the message. Another option - a person must follow the link from a special service-tracker, which will track the chain of connections and show the address. Therefore, in everyday life, an ordinary user is unlikely to be able to find out the IP of a random person on the Internet.

And what can you find out if you have someone else's IP address?

Not much. By the IP-address, you can determine the provider to which it belongs, as well as the country and maximum city from which they accessed the Internet. So, the popular service 2ip is able to show the approximate location at the level of the settlement. True, it is far from the fact that geolocation turns out to be correct. You can check it yourself by your IP. For example, we have a city that is located 500 kilometers away.

Why is the location inaccurate?

The fact is that the territorial affiliation of IP-addresses is based on the data provided by providers, and depends entirely on their accuracy.

Addresses from the set available to providers are assigned to certain regions, but sometimes they can change - the vacated IP-addresses from one city are often reassigned to another. That is why store websites specify your location by displaying notifications like "Is your city Moscow?" And as you may have noticed, they are often wrong.

Is there a way to reliably determine the address by IP?

Yes. The provider can match the IP with the physical address and find out the exact place from where they went to the Internet. This will work even with a dynamic option: in this case, the logs will simply specify which address was assigned to the user at a particular point in time. Of course, at the request of an ordinary person, no one will do this. Such things are performed only at the request of law enforcement agencies, if the owner of the IP-address for some reason violated the law.

But even this can be useless if applied proxy or VPN. In this case, instead of the real location, the location of the server through which you entered the Network will be shown.

Mechanical engineer, well versed in engineering and technology. I have been using Mac and iPhone for more than 10 years, I know everything about the ecosystem and Apple products. I not only write, but also know how and love to work with my hands. I worked as a car mechanic for 3 years, I only fix the car myself. I designed and built a house from scratch with my own hands, accumulating a lot of experience along the way. I love old school video games and comics, I play the guitar.