[Tim Walsh]

I could pick the info in those two sites apart (it's more complex than they make it seem), but I don't do that stuff anymore. Their info is still the "short answer" and indended for a "general understanding" of the concept. For example, if you're connected to a wireless access point (say at home), your IP is probably 192.168.1.100 (typical default for the first connection) on your private wireless network. From a CMD window, type in IPCONFIG /ALL if you're wireless, and you'll see. Now obviously, ALL of us aren't using that same address when connecting to the Internet...network routing "can" get fairly complex and fun...for us geeks .

HEY how'd you know my address?!


In more seriousness it's absolutely possible to track down someone from an IP Address, as long as you have someone at their ISP(and they know what they're doing), we do it all the time here at my work for DMCA violations. Sometimes they're in and out before we can catch them since we do have a very limited public access wireless system, but generally if they're associated with the university in some way shape or form we know who they are.

That being said, there are ways around having someone find out what your ISP is, there were/are anonymousiers out there that will be tough to legally work with to get information from in order to track a person through that ISP.