Everyone who owns one or more devices connected to the internet has an IP address. Whether you are using your computer, tablet, smartphone, or video game consoles online, that device is assigned a unique IP address within the network it has logged into.
Your IP address is like your street address; it tells where you are located on the internet. The importance of this cannot be overstated because every device that logs onto a network via its IP must abide by specific rules and regulations to not break any laws, like copyright infringements.
Six Main Reasons For Bad IP Reputation
1. Copyright Infringements
The internet is home to many illegal activities, including downloading copyrighted content without the owner’s consent. This activity usually takes place in P2P networks, where users download music, movies, and games for free from people who have uploaded them on their computers. Since these files are not supposed to be shared with other users without the copyright holders’ permission, anyone who downloads them can quickly get a bad reputation because they are breaking the law.
2. Sharing Virus-Infected Files via P2P Networks
Those same P2P file-sharing networks are also notorious for helping spread viruses across millions of devices connected to the internet. When you download something illegally, you invite all kinds of trouble onto your device, including viruses and malware. This is why people who spread them are also responsible for their IP address getting a bad reputation.
3. Low-Quality Usenet Feeds (BinNews)
Usenet is another online file-sharing platform where users can download anything they want without worrying about copyright violations or viruses infecting their computers; however, you must subscribe to one of the top Usenet providers to get good quality binaries which will help your IP stay out of the blacklist.
If you’re using BinNews instead of a legitimate service, then at some point, your IP will have an ominous warning next to it in the news servers that list known copyright infringers, spammers, or virus hosts.
4. Sharing Your Connection With Others
Nowadays, most people use laptops, tablets, and smartphones to go online. This means they must share their device’s connection with others who do not live in the same household; this is where the trouble starts brewing because there are too many risks involved, which you should avoid at all costs if you want your IP address to be safe from having a bad reputation. Here is what could happen,
a) Virus Infection: If one of the other users who got onto your Wi-Fi network has a virus on their computer, it will probably get uploaded onto yours as well when you download something illegally or share files via P2P networks.
b) Getting Blacklisted: If someone in your home uploads files that get put into a lousy IP blacklist, you will get blocked by ISPs and other companies who keep track of what users do on the internet.
c) Using Anonymizers: You might also want to avoid proxies because they don’t always work like intended and can make your IP address visible for anyone to see, including copyright enforcers. There is nothing worse than having an anonymous IP when people are looking for it; this will only lead to more problems down the road.
5. Buying Low-Quality VPN Services
When you purchase a VPN service but end up using a cheap or even free one instead of getting one from the provider you paid for, it will not protect your IP address if you are engaging in illegal/suspicious activities online.
For example, many free VPN services don’t encrypt the data you send and receive, which means that copyright enforcers have an easier time identifying your activity when they notice that you are trying to download or upload things without permission.
6. Buying Fake ID’s Online
If you’ve ever ordered fake IDs online, then at some point when someone runs a check on what site you used to purchase them from, your details will get flagged up for sharing copyrighted materials; this is the easiest way to get blacklisted by ISPs. No matter how tempted you might be to buy one of these cards for personal or professional reasons (like getting into work after hours or buying alcohol), you always run a considerable risk of your IP address having a bad reputation.
Impact of Bad IP Reputation
Copyright infringement, gaming, cheating at the expense of other people’s enjoyment, participating in DDoS attacks, which are often used for online extortion, etc., are some of the worst things you can do to get your IP address blocked by ISPs around the world. Even if you have not committed any offense but still have a bad reputation, companies might think that you are involved in anything illegal, and this will cost you money because they won’t want to do business with you. How do you know that you have a bad IP reputation? Easy! Read our article “How Do I Find Out For Free If My IP Reputation Is Poor?“
No matter what country your IP is from, there is always a way for copyright enforcers to find out who has uploaded or downloaded copyrighted material without permission; so don’t go thinking that using robust encryption technologies or VPN services will prevent them from discovering what you’ve been doing on the internet.
Everything you do online will be easily traceable, and even the most innocent-looking IP address can get detected without having to more or less invade your privacy; this is why it’s so crucial for people who value their freedom as well as companies that don’t want any trouble on their websites, not to share copyrighted material illegally.
Conclusion
If you want to ensure that your IP address never gets blocked for any reason, then the only solution is to use a VPN service that will encrypt everything that leaves your computer or mobile device.
You can also test what data you send and receive but keep in mind that IPv6 traffic cannot be encrypted, so always turn it off before downloading/uploading things online. This guide was meant to help people understand why they should avoid sharing copyrighted material at all costs.
Doing something illegal on the internet will get their IPs flagged up sooner or later if they are not using a VPN service. When copyright enforcers detect suspicious activity, they will do anything in their power to have ISPs block it, whether it is a dedicated IP address or one assigned by an ISP, even if you have never done anything wrong on the internet.
