ISP Addresses

edited July 2009 in Science & Tech
How much can a person find out about you by your ISP address?

Comments

  • BuddyJBuddyJ Dept. of Propaganda OKC Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Not a whole lot without really digging. Your IP address alone generally will give a vague idea of your location.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    like BuddyJ says: all you can get is a general area.

    See for yourself. My ip is 64.233.242.20

    Going to a website like DNSstuff: http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/tools/

    type in my IP, and you get:

    http://www.dnsstuff.com/tools/ipall/?ip=64.233.242.20

    which shows you only that I live in southeast michigan and am a customer of WideOpenWest.
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited June 2009
    Unless, of course, it's the government and they subpoena your ISP. In which case they can find out your name, address and any other information your ISP has about you. Otherwise, yeah, they can find out who your ISP is, the general area you live in and that's about it.
  • wguimbwguimb Houston, Texas USA
    edited July 2009
    ardichoke wrote:
    Unless, of course, it's the government and they subpoena your ISP. In which case they can find out your name, address and any other information your ISP has about you. Otherwise, yeah, they can find out who your ISP is, the general area you live in and that's about it.

    That's 100% correct. Your ISP keeps logs of which user or MAC address had a certain IP address assigned at a given time and date. Most providers keep the logs for 60 to 90 days, some longer. That is at the core of the arguments in DC and Europe over requiring ISP's to keep the logs for years, so they can find pediphiles, terrorists and such. But it could also be used to invade everyone's privacy for really any use they want. RIAA might be coming to your house because you downloaded that Michael Jackson MP3, or you don't get the job you wanted because a background check shows you said something on a blog the company doesn't like.
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