Can someone explain a little about an IP address to me?

Question

What is it? If someone ask me for mine, should I give it to them? Can someone else find my IP address without me telling them and even if I have firewall? If they can, what information can they find out about me from my IP address? I never use my real information for anything online such as AOL, MSN, YAHOO etc. Will info gathered from my IP address (if any can be) be only the info I used when registering for various things? I know I must sound like a nitwit, but I'm relatively naive when it comes to computers and my friend has been telling me things that makes me think I need to give the web up altogether. Hope someone can help and thank you if you do or even if you only try. Have a very nice day and night everyone.

Answer 1

Every computer must have a unique address (name) on a network. The internet is a huge network of computers. To keep them all straight, each one is assigned an IP address. The IP address is how your computer is identified on the network. (internet)

No, you should not give anyone your IP address. The only reason for someone to want that is to hack into your computer. Web sites already know your IP address. There is little problem with legitimate web sites knowing your IP address. Stay off the p**n sites, some are owned by hackers and other unsavory people.

Answer 2

I don't know a lot about computers, but I do not a few things about IP's...

Every IP address is unique. Every computer has an IP address. IP stands for Internet Protocol.  It is a numerical identification (logical address) that is assigned to devices participating in a computer network.