Many people talk about the importance of hiding your computer’s IP address, but it’s just as important to secure your phone’s IP address. These days, most of us do most of our online tasks through our phones, so we should also secure our phones from cyber threats. The same dangers that are in place when we browse the web on our laptops without additional security are also present when we do the same with our phones. We’ll discuss why it is so important to conceal your IP address on your phone but for starters, let’s discuss the definition of an IP address and why we need it in the first place.
What is an IP address, and why should you care?
An IP address stands for internet protocol address and is a string of unique numbers. Each of your devices connected to the internet has one, whether your laptop, tablet or phone. IP addresses are necessary for users to access websites and exchange information online with other users. IP addresses are how different computers recognize each other when sending and receiving data online. But IP addresses come with their share of risks as well. If your IP address is exposed when you are online, you could easily fall victim to cybercrime since this string of unique numbers can reveal a lot about you. This is an especially pressing issue for those who use their phone to go online using the public Wi-Fi networks. These are unsecured and open to hijacking by just about any experienced hacker.
What does your IP address reveal about you?
Your IP address can reveal your current location’s city, zip code, and area code, so they change every time you change your location. But most importantly, your IP address can reveal your browsing history and your online habits, which can be extremely profitable for many groups.
Your internet service provider is perfectly capable of observing your online behavior. Some of them even use this data to make some money on the side by selling it to third parties.
In some cases, it might be your internet service provider who wants to sell this data to other groups who will use it to try and increase the effectiveness of their advertising techniques. In other cases, it might be an authoritarian government trying to control what each citizen is doing online or a cybercriminal using your IP address to install malware or commit Denial of Service attacks.
How to conceal your IP address on your phone?
The best way to conceal an IP address on your phone is to use a VPN whenever you want to go online. All you need to do is connect to one of the servers offered through the VPN app, and your IP address will be hidden immediately. Virtual Private Network conceals your actual IP address and connects you to a secure, remote server. When connected to a VPN, all anyone can see when trying to get more information about your online activity is the IP address of the remote server. This concerns your internet service provider as well. When connected to your VPN, your online activity can not be tied back to you in any way, and you can browse the web calmly, knowing that your privacy is not being violated.
Other advantages of concealing your IP Address
Besides the obvious and important security benefits of having your IP address hidden, you can also expect to get some other perks when using a VPN online. If your real IP address is hidden, and you are using the IP address of one of the remote servers offered by the VPN service, you can easily access content blocked in your current location. Since the website you are trying to visit will only see the address of the secure server, you can watch films, stream videos, or other kinds of content without any geo-restrictions. Just make sure to pick a server located in the country where the content is not blocked.