The Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical identifier which is assigned to network devices such as computers mainly for communication purposes. This address also is used to locate a device in a network. IP addresses are also used for differentiating devices connected to the same network. In a nutshell, an IP address can supply the specific physical location of a device.
Why Hide Your IP Address?
Despite being a supporting factor in a network, IP addresses can also have some drawbacks such as revealing your location. To hide your IP, you need to mask it with another IP address. Here are some reasons why you should hide your IP address:
1. Digital Privacy – Hiding your Location
As mentioned earlier, an IP address can show your location by locating the device you are using. To some extent, some tools can even reveal your location with 100% accuracy. Below are some location details an IP address can reveal;
- Latitude and Longitude
- State
- City
- ZIP code
- Country
2. Blocking targeted ads and attacks
Some ads can be pushed to some people based on a geographical location and so are attacks from cybercriminals.
3. Avoiding IP Bans
Some internet services are notoriously known for banning IP addresses. If your IP address is banned, you won’t be able to access the services. Even Internet Service Providers can throttle your internet bandwidth based on your IP address. To avoid this, you need to hide your IP address.
4. Bypass IP Restrictions
Since IP addresses are also location identifiers, you might be subjected to various restrictions such as geo restrictions and even censorships. Once your IP address is subjected to these restrictions, you won’t be able to access some content offered in some regions. For instance, streaming services use geo-restrictions when providing their content. That’s why some people can’t have access to Netflix. Governments such as China apply nationwide censorships and hence block access to websites and services available on the internet.
Methods of Hiding Your IP Address
There are different ways that you can use to hide your IP address, they include;
Using IPBurger VPN
A VPN is one of the best ways you can use to hide your IP address. VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) change the IP addresses of devices connected to them. A VPN does this by assigning you a virtual IP address when you connect to one of its servers. Also, VPN channels all your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel and this ensures more privacy and security. Due to this privacy and encryption, IPBurger VPN enables you to;
- Hide your identity, and your connection to the internet remains 100% secure and private.
- Unblock all the geo-restricted websites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Skype.
- Block the Internet Service Provider (ISP) and other prying eyes from eavesdropping on your internet activities.
- Protect your internet traffic data such as emails, passwords, and files.
Other ways of securely hiding your IP address include;
- Using a proxy server – proxies also hide your IP address by using their IP addresses to access the internet.
- Using The Onion Router (Tor) – this is one of the best anonymizers.
Conclusion
Hiding your IP address is very important especially in this unsecured digital era. Besides ensuring your digital privacy and data security is intact, you also gain other benefits. Using a VPN such as IP Burger, you are assured of top-notch security levels, excellent support, gaining access to blocked content and so much more.
