Go EU.

Makes me smile. No one with good intentions EVER wants as much power as Google clearly does.

We were supposed to be about rights and privacy while Europe was about socialism.

Now the reality sets in as the beast exposes itself. In the US you have no rights, and no rights to privacy.

In Europe, on the other hand, there is a privacy rights movement supported by government.

We are the 'rights' imposter apparently.

Your IP address is plainly not private, any more than your network cards MAC address is. So plainly this is not information that can be considered private in any way.

It's also not really personal, in that for 90% of individuals it is subject to change at any moment, without any notice or without the user even noticing it. It's not your home address and it's not your phone number.

The issue here is not whether it's personal information or not, it's what business should be allowede to do with IP addresses that are exposed to them, and how they are allowed to link it to other, potentially personal data that may be disclosed to them in the transaction that revealed the IP address. The thing here is not about IP addresses, it's what kind of restrictions should there be on companies combinging public and private data to create profiles...and that SHOULD be heavily regulated.

IP addresses for DSL and Cable service do change pretty often, and multiple users behind a NAT router can have the same IP address: As a personal identifier, it's pretty much useless. Google doesn't need to search its logs for your IP address because it's given your browser a cookie. Every time your browser requests a web page from Google it also sends back the cookie--saying, in effect, "hey, it's me again, and here's the unique identifier you gave me that proves it." Forcing Google to stop logging IP addresses gains absolutely nothing.

I meant to make that point, but I got distracted by work. Very, very good point - the problem with cookies is much greater.

Use this to search:

http://www.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/scraper.htm

Periodically delete you cookies and browsing history with your browser tools/options

Periodically shut off your computer and DSL modem. When you restart you will have a new IP address.

You can verify this by checking http://whatismyipaddress.com/ before and after. This site also does a good job discribing what and how an IP works and what it means to you.

Also, if you want to spend some money you can buy one of the many IP anonymisers available.

http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Best/free-anonymizer.html

Note: I know nothing about this site. I post it as an example only.

I use Firefox and assume other Browsers have the same option. I can set the browser to automatically delete all cookies and personal info like browsing history whenever I log off.

I have run web servers for many years and here is my perspective on this:

1. IP addresses, unlike cookies and other "personal" information is not optional. Servers MUST see your IP, or the data will never make it back to your machine.

2. IP adressess are not meant to "identify" anything. Dynamic IP assignment and NATs make ip lookups unreliable for this purpose. IP adresses are for finding the net location of a device and routing data to it.

3. IP logging is needed for security. Outside the web world, network servers must know and keep track of who is connecting to them and be able to block ips (and blocks of ip addresses) of abusive users and hackers. Network forensics rely on IP addresses (and usually chains of spoofed ips) to identify and prevent hackers from accessing the system.

4. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If IP source information is restricted, as a web user, you would be unable to find out who actually runs a server via WHOIS. Want to make sure your donation is really going where you think it is? WHOIS info is the only way.

5. If you are so concerned. Reboot your router regularly and ensure you have gotten a new IP address.

I see a tracking widget but I don't see it coupled to YOUR identity. So far it's merely the existence of some packets that are lumped together w/o associating them to any identity.

That is correct.

An IP address ONLY identifies my pc.

It could be used by someone other than me and, an IP tracker would have no knowledge of that merely by the IP address.

In fact, there are days when I'm not even certain who I am.lol

For those of you using Firefox, CustomizeGoogle (www.customizegoogle.com) is highly recommended. As it's name implies, it allows you to customize all aspects of your interactions with Google. Most important, the privacy section offers 2 options:

"_ Anonymize the Google cookie UID

Avoid the possibility of Google building up a cohesive profile about you. This does not block your access to Google Account services, such as Gmail. Some services may be affected. For example, in Google Groups the list of 'Recently visited' groups becomes empty."

"_ Don't send any cookies to Google Analytics

Google Analytics (also known as Urchin) is a service from Google that helps website owners analyze how users use their sites. Information about your use of a certain website (including your ip address) can automatically be transmitted to and stored by Google using cookies"

I learned about the plugin at the Electronic Frontier Foundation website. Some good places to learn more about this stuff:

Specific search engine privacy info:

http://www.eff.org/wp/six-tips-protect-your-search-privacy

More general:

http://www.eff.org/work

Turn off your router or comp and get a new IP? I have Cox and that sure doesn't work on their system. I've had the same IP for 3 years through many reboots and power outages. Use Scroogle or deny cookies from Google. Use an anonymous proxy.

Um. Your IP address is logged in every web site you ever visit, ever.

Whether it's beyond-a-reasonable-doubt proof you've done something bad remains to be seen. For example, two computers behind a firewall. Two people. Which one of them used a computer to do something naughty, like, say, discuss freedom and peace? There's no proof either of them did a given thing.

No one can tell?

Both of them go to Gitmo. ({[completely non and sanctioned and fuzzy-happy]}) torture will loosen lips.

It's the law now. It's circumstantial, and tha's good enough fer terrist-fighters.

And you're worried about marketing? HAH.