What is an IP Address Blocker? [Everything You Need To Know]

AnIP address is a sensitive piece of information. Anyone who gets a hold your IP address can do many things with it. 

With a new cyber attack every 39 seconds, your IP address can be at risk. You can be subject to identity theft, scams, and other online threats.

One way to protect your IP address is to block it using several tools. Keep reading to find out how you can do that. 

🔑 Key Takeaways

• IP address blocking is a security measure that prevents the direct connection between specific IPs or groups and email, web, or internet servers.
• Tools for IP address blocking include VPNs, proxies, and NAT firewalls. You can also block IPs by disabling IPv6 or IPv4. 
• You should block IP addresses for many reasons. These reasons can be to prevent sites from tracking you, access restricted content, enhance privacy when browsing, etc.
• Choosing reliable and secure IP address-blocking tools is vital. Go for paid VPNs and legitimate proxy services for safer browsing.
• Be aware of the legal implications of IP address blocking. It could potentially violate CFAA or similar laws in some jurisdictions.

IP Address Blocking: What It Is and How It Works

To better grasp the concept of IP address blocking, you should understand what IP address is. Here’s a video by Cisco, explaining IP address in simple terms:

As the video said, an IP address is an identifier—our address on the web. It is sensitive data that can serve as a key to access more of your personal information. This is why it’s important to use an IP address blocker.  

IP address blocking deters the connection between a specific or group of IP addresses and an email, web, or internet server.

Companies use IP blocking to prevent intrusion, allow remote access, and limit the websites employees can access to keep productivity high. 

Other establishments also block IP addresses to prevent unauthorized access to confidential data and enforce censorship.

An IP address blocker prohibits websites and apps from knowing your actual IP address by disguising it with a new one.

Below are the 5 best IP blockers you can use.

5 Best IP Address Blockers

There are several IP address blockers that can help you. Some of the best tools for the job are: 

Find out how each tool works below. 

1. Virtual Private Network

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a network of remote servers. It can hide your IP address, allowing you to browse the web as if you’re in a different city or country.

It also establishes a secure tunnel that encrypts the traffic data. A VPN does that at the operating system level, which means it can cover your device’s entire data stream.

Multiple VPNs utilize shared IP addresses, letting you use the same IP address as other users in the same server. This adds a substantial layer of anonymity since it is harder to trace a specific activity back to a single user.

Here are the steps on how you can use a VPN to block your IP address:

Step 1: Choose a trusted VPN service. NordVPN is one of the best options.

Step 2: Sign up for an account by choosing a subscription.

Step 3: Once installed, open the app. 

Step 4: Select a server that you want to use. Iceland and Estonia are some of the best country servers to use. 

Step 5: Once it’s connected, you can now start browsing.

2. HTTP Proxies

A proxy server is a remote computer intermediary between an app on your device and the web. It makes your traffic look normal, avoiding raising any suspicion from site servers or ISPs.

Proxies come in different types—each one having disctint features and for different purposes. If you’re looking for a multi-purpose proxy, HTTP proxies are the answer. 

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTP) proxies usually come as browser extensions. In fact, you can use a proxy server in Chrome within a few minutes.

When browsing, an HTTP proxy intercepts your IP address. However, other apps can still use a direct connection with your ISP.

HTTP proxies hide your IP address from the websites you visit, but note that the connection isn’t encrypted. You can also get HTTPS proxies, which includes SSL encryption for safer browsing. 

👍Helpful Article Choosing which proxy server to use is a vital step. Getting an affordable proxy seems tempting. However, keep in mind that free proxies are unsafe.  You should get a legitimate proxy service to make sure your online activity are private and protected. Check out the article below to know which proxy providers can you trust:  Leading Proxy Providers

3. SOCKS Proxy

Another type of proxy that makes a great IP address blockers are SOCKS proxies. 

A Socket Secure (SOCKS) proxy transfers data between a client or device and a web server. It uses Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which guarantees that the data gets where it needs to go.

The two most recent versions of SOCKS proxies are SOCKS4 and SOCKS5. A SOCKS5 proxy is an improved version of SOCKS4. 

The only difference is that a SOCKS5 proxy adds encryption to network traffic using Secure Shell (SSH) tunneling. This encryption helps protect the transferred data.

4. Disable IPv6 or IPv4

The IP address was developed to be what it is now. It went through 

IPv4 comprises a 32-bit address length and is IP’s fourth version. On the other hand, IPv6 is written of 128-bit address length and is the latest and most updated version.

To access the Internet, you need to have at least one of the two versions enabled. That said, you can hide your IPv6 or IPv4 address to block the IP address itself.

Here are the steps to disable IPv6:

Step 1: Open the Control Panel. Click Network and Internet.

Step 2: Open Network and Sharing Center.

Step 3: Click Change Adapter Settings.

Step 4: Right-click your connection and go to Properties.

Step 5: Uncheck the box next to Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and click OK.

5. NAT Firewall

Firewalls are known to be a computer’s natural defense. There are different types of firewalls, depending on what level of protection a device needs. 

One of the different kinds of firewalls is the NAT firewall. This type does not intercept your public IP address, but it will conceal your private IP address. 

All devices linked to a NAT-enabled router will share a public IP address. To understand what NAT is, check out its definition below:

Presumably, you are behind a NAT firewall if you join the Internet through a wireless router. 

NAT forwards all your requests and data from the personal IP of the devices to their online destination under the router’s public IP address.

The firewall blocks your local IP address from other computers on the Internet, preventing unsolicited communication. 

Any traffic that reaches the router without specifying a local IP address is discarded. However, your Wi-Fi router’s public IP address will still be visible.

Why Should You Block Your IP Address?

Your IP address is essential information exchanged with every interaction of your devices connected to a network.

Here are more specific reasons to block your IP Address:

1. Prevent websites from tracking you

No matter what website you access, everyone tracks or collects your IP address in one way or another.

Most websites do not collect your data directly. However, a modern website with numerous features enforces trackers to analyze site visitors.

These trackers may or may not be known to the users. The data gathered by the trackers are either sold to third-party services or used to formulate insights.

Collected data helps improves the user experience on the site. The information can also help them in creating marketing strategies to boost the site’s growth. 

Whatever the purpose is, always remember that gathering and selling personal data without a user’s consent is inherently wrong. 

2. Unlock access to content

Many web services enforce geo-blocking that limits IPs from a list of countries. In their defense, it saves their resources and bandwidth.

However, if you still want access to restricted content, you can conceal your IP address and use a fake IP to bypass the block.

In either case, it should be handy if you are traveling abroad but still want access to geo-blocked content—such as different Netflix series.

3. Prevent digital marketers from profiling you

It is worth noting that hiding the IP address will not completely prevent marketers from tracking you. 

Several methods like email tracking, links, surveys, and ads can still help marketers know the things that you like and dislike. 

However, hiding your IP address makes creating a complete profile of your preferences challenging.

If you’re using an easy-to-access IP address, marketers can easily correlate all the data associated with browsing activity to improve their demographic statistics.

4. Go full incognito

Private browsing or incognito mode in a browser helps you surf the web without thinking about clearing the cookies, history, and basic tracking.

However, you still give away your IP address if you need to mask it. Your browsing activity is not private, and your IP address still links back to you for the activities done in incognito mode.

For better browsing privacy, use any of the IP blockers above—even when in incognito. Doing so guarantees that you’re not leaving almost any digital trace that can be linked to you. 

5. Prevent your ISP from tracking you

Without any security measures, many parties can see your online activity. This includes your Internet Service Provider (ISP). 

If you do not trust your ISP, hiding your browsing activity from them is always a good idea.

While you can take the help of DNS-over-HTTPS to enhance privacy, many IP masking techniques should also help.

6. Prevent search engine tracking

Unless you stick to some private alternatives, Google, Bing, and other search engines collect your IP address. 

These popular search engines use your IP address as basis to associate search data and activity. They can even push personalized ads according to the activities reflected on your IP address. 

Blocking your IP address is a good solution if you want a private search experience and avoid seeing personalized results or advertisements.

7. Prevent Location Tracking

Whether you restrict apps from using your location information or have it disabled in your operating system, your IP address still gives away your approximate location.

If you want to keep your location private, using a fake IP is the best way to proceed. 

8. Hiding Your IP Address Promotes the Right to Privacy

Taking control of your privacy is necessary as you rely on online services. However, you do not have to engage in anything illegal to protect your IP address. 

Avoid giving away vital information to every site you’re using. Hiding an IP address is still a good starting point to limit the data you share to the web. 

Legality of IP Address Blocking

It is not lawful to block IP addresses. In 2013, a US district judge ruled that IP address blocking is against the CFAA (also known as Computer Fraud and Abuse Act). 

This law forbids blocking computer access without authorization intentionally. Those proven guilty of violating it can face up to 10 years of imprisonment.

An exception for this is when a user blocks IP addresses to prevent access to suspected fraudulent activity.

Conclusion

Though it is deemed as not legal, blocking IP addresses is still a common practice that helps users prevent website attacks, confine unauthorized access, and avoid web scraping.

This safety measure protects you from severe threats, like hackers or other malicious individuals getting a hold of your information.

Feel free to use the tools mentioned in this article to block your IP address. However, make sure to use them with caution.

FAQs

By Jalluri Sirisha

Sirisha is a networking enthusiast with a bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering. She has developed a keen interest in Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and has gone the extra mile to gain firsthand experience and knowledge.