Learn What an IP Address Is and Why You Should Consider Hiding It

If you use computers, you’ve probably heard the term IP address (Internet Protocol address). Basically, an IP address is an exclusive set of numbers, separated by decimal points, that identifies the device you use to connect to a local network or the Internet.

All your devices at home share the IP address designated to you by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), including your desktop, laptop, smartphone, video game console, smart TV, and even your smart washing machine.

Why Should I Hide My IP Address?

While there are various advantages of hiding your IP address, the three biggest ones are as follows:

• Security: Your IP address can be used by those with malicious intent to breach your security in several ways. For example, a cybercriminal can use your IP address to commit crimes and frame you for them, trick you with a tech support scam, or hit your devices with a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack.
• Privacy: Anyone with some technical knowledge can use your publicly available social media information in combination with your IP address to find your home address. Using your home address, they can stalk you, steal from you while you’re away, or worse. Companies can also use your IP address to track the files you share on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and take legal action against you. Of course, your employer can also use your IP address to keep an eye on your online activity.
• Freedom: Video streaming platforms, shopping websites, and eCommerce pages like PayPal restrict access to people based on their IP addresses. Even governments censor content with geo-blocking technology that relies on your IP address information. When you hide your IP address, you can surf the web with greater freedom. You may even be able to access the video game server that mistakenly banned your IP address!

What’s the Best Way to Hide My IP Address?

There are multiple ways to hide your IP address — you can manually adjust your device’s proxy settings, use a proxy server, download an encrypted browser like Tor, or use a Network Address Translation (NAT) firewall. However, none of these methods are without shortcomings. For example, a proxy address won’t secure your connection, a Tor browser can be painfully slow, and a NAT firewall often conflicts with many applications. In addition, none of these methods are user friendly.

That’s why many experts suggest that subscribing to a paid Virtual Private Network (VPN) service is the best way to maintain your anonymity on the Internet — a good VPN assigns you a virtual IP address, encrypts your data, and is easy to use. It would be best to look up how to get a VPN trial service for Windows or Mac from a reputable company to experience all the benefits of using a VPN service if you want to wait before you hit the subscribe button.

Of course, you must avoid free VPN services as they use malware to spy on you and sell your data to generate revenue. Moreover, free VPNs lack the server capacity and the technology to protect your privacy or offer you reasonably good streaming speeds.

Whether you want to conceal your location, make it harder for people to track your online activity, or access new services and information, you should consider hiding your IP address. And with the right VPN, you can do so safely and securely.