What does your computer tell me?

Since my penis obsessed friend over at The Kool Aid Report
loves to say 'I have your IP address!'
I thought I would do an essay on exactly what an IP address is.
Many people seem to think its like your home address. Once someone finds out your IP address they know where you live. Actually thats not quite true.
In fact the IP address recorded by many websites only record (via a siple javascript) the IP address that is REQUESTING the website.
If your requests are routed thru proxies, zombies, etc. that is the address recorded by the website.

Now here is where it gets insidious. Lets say particular website has started banning IP address to prevent certain people from posting comments or even viewing the website.
There is a little technique called IP address SPOOFING. Here is a short course: http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1674
There are many scripting programs that do this job for you

So a truly devious person would record IP address of people that visit his blog (In articular people visiting from other linked blogs) and then in turn spoof those Ip address to create all kinds of confusion.

My next post is going to be an academic study (by using a specific example) of the confusion that can be created.

Topic of next post: spoofing eThugs Ip address.