The ability to alter your IP address is something that has become popular recently, but many people do not believe that they need to get software to change an IP address, because they do not realize just how strongly their privacy is being invaded. People often feel that when they are online they are hidden, and that it isn’t possible for people to find out what they are doing without hacking into their information.

When you browse the internet using your actual IP address, information about you and your activities is recorded and stored everywhere you go. This isn’t something that you can observe happening, but the outcomes of it are very noticeable.

Some websites are beginning to remember what you did or ordered last time you were on the site, not because you created a username and password combination, but because last time you visited the website you used the same IP address as you did this time.

One of the most concerning things about your IP address is that it is so readily available, which makes it easy for any website or company to gather information about you through your IP address alone. The ability to use IP addresses is already considered to be an important tool in marketing, and this trend may only be beginning.

Part of the reason that IP addresses are being used so readily by businesses, is that they are not considered to contain personal information about you. This surprised me, because really, IP addresses allow a whole lot to be found out about you, much more than you would be comfortable with someone knowing.

Google has been one of the major companies arguing that IP addresses are not personal information, and this argument has been mostly based on the concept that you cannot directly identify a person through their IP address alone. Maybe not, but personally, I don’t believe that I should tell a stranger where I live because I happen to keep the front door locked. Likewise, your IP address can easily become a stepping stone, helping companies to find out more about you.

This is what makes using software to change an IP address so important. Most people make use of either a proxy or a VPN, both of which have advantages and disadvantages. A VPN tends to give access to more websites and give you more privacy and security, but it also normally costs a bit more, and can require setting up.