They only expose approximate, not precise, locations, so they shouldn't be a risk like GPS that exposes precise locations?
I’m inclined to think that your IP provides powerful cross-reference potential. Imagine someone either buys the data off of all data brokers out there or a law enforcement agency obtains similar kind of data through warrants, etc. They can cross-reference IPs and time-stamps and determine, that you, Joe Blow, age 35, who works at X, volunteers at Y, and lives at 123 main street, browse for some kind of very embarrassing porn every night. It’s a drastic example to illustrate the idea, but I don’t think it’s far-fetched.
This could be taken further by imagining a wider net: say, a large portion of people who have donated to this political candidate or who work for this company browse for that same embarrassing porn every night.
I’m thinking birds-eye view of potential privacy violations here.
Kolanaki@pawb.social 9 hours ago
My IP is 127.0.0.1
I dare you to DDOS me.
slazer2au@lemmy.world 2 hours ago
It’s ::1 now.
boydster@sh.itjust.works 9 hours ago
Shit I have to change mine
cicadagen@ani.social 8 hours ago
Mine too…
user224@lemmy.sdf.org 7 hours ago
My IP is 127.69.69.69
Take that.