What IP information represents
- Approximate network ownership (ISP, hosting provider, ASN).
- Approximate routing region — city-accurate at best, often only country-accurate.
- Heuristic indicators of network type (residential, mobile, hosting, VPN/proxy).
What IP information does NOT represent
- Exact physical location of a device or person.
- Proof of identity of the user behind the address.
- Definitive attribution of activity to a specific individual.
- A legal basis for accusing a person of conduct.
Why IP geolocation is approximate
- Address-to-location databases are built from inference — not GPS.
- Mobile carrier IPs frequently surface a regional or national gateway, not the device.
- VPNs, proxies, CDNs, and corporate egress points hide the originating network.
- Reassignment, leasing, and routing changes happen continuously.
Responsible use
Treat IP / geolocation output as contextual signal — useful for fraud triage, content localisation, or operational diagnostics, but never as evidence against an individual.
Last reviewed: June 2026.