ZDNET: “Your IP address can be a gold mine for invasive advertisers, as well as thieves, hackers, and other bad actors. We’ll explain why it’s so sought after, and how you can protect your IP address by using a VPN…Why would I want to hide my IP address? The short answer is to protect your security and privacy. Anyone can use publicly available IP lookup tools to find both your ISP and your general physical location.  On the mildly irritating side of things, your IP address provides an way for invasive advertisers to bombard you with localized ads and to tie any collected browsing data to your IP to help track all of your activities. Some folks may have stronger motivations to hide their IP addresses. This includes people living under repressive regimes that could use an IP address to hunt down political opponents, people escaping from abusive relationships, and anyone else who fears they could be targeted by malicious individuals that would love to get their hands on a physical location. Identity thieves would also love to get their hands on this info to further exploit whatever data they may have on their target…”