IP address - Are they reliable anymore?

[AngelArs]

In this day and age where VPN's are widely available, how reliable is the IP address tracking feature at the bottom of each post?

Is there a way around how the VPN is masking the IP address so that we can see the real IP?

 

[Max Taxable]

IPs can be spoofed by many methods. VPNs are merely one of them.

 

[Kirby]

IPs can be spoofed by many methods. VPNs are merely one of them.

Erm ... no.

Please read what IP address spoofing is:

IP address spoofing - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Using a VPN is not spoofing.

 

[Max Taxable]

Using a VPN is not spoofing

Correct. For the purpose of the thread though, VPN does mask the real IP. "Spoofing" is typically malicious not benign like a VPN.

 

[trapped_soul]

In this day and age where VPN's are widely available, how reliable is the IP address tracking feature at the bottom of each post?

Is there a way around how the VPN is masking the IP address so that we can see the real IP?

IP tracking now, is the same as reading grains of sand.
Could be from anywhere, at any point in time, at any place.
They're of no significance.

It's the same as someone saying: "I'm from Japan" but their IP is, for example, Alaska.
Not much you can do about it or with it, but not much you can't either.

What I do enjoy is shared IP's and then, you have to be really absolute.