Your IP address, which means internet protocol, is your exclusive 32-bit address which is divided into 4 fields of 8-bits each.
It identifies a computer on an internet network.
Without it, you cannot surf the net.
Since all Internet Protocol addresses are arranged by location, it can be traced back to the location of the owner.
There are databases online that keep records of your activities online.
They do this by monitoring your Internet Protocol.
They know that the address is uniquely for you, so they follow the address wherever it goes online.
They keep this record so as to know your interest online and then send advert pop-ups to you accordingly.
Some internet users may have no problem with this but for those like me that like to keep their privacy, there are ways you can mask your IP so that you can become anonymous online.
One method to hide your IP is by the use of proxy server which can effectively mask your IP by replacing yours with its own Internet Protocol.
This method works by you going to any reliable proxy website and then typing the website you want to visit into a box provided.
The proxy server then request for the webpage you wish to visit by using its own Internet Protocol instead of yours.
Through this, the website cannot trace back the address to you.
This service is free.
The disadvantages of using proxy server are that it is slow to load pages; it contains a lot of adverts and it may be set up by a hacker who wishes to get your Internet Protocol in order to access your computer.
Another method is by the use of software which will be installed into your computer system.
It helps you hide your IP address whenever you go online.
This is not a free service.
You can get the software from your software vendor or online.
This software is unlike proxy server; it does not request for a webpage with its own Internet Protocol on your behalf, instead it changes it totally.
It also masks your IP by changing your location.
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