Despite the fact that almost all people use their computers, tablets, and smartphones every day for numerous purposes, not everyone is aware of some basic principles and concepts of the processes’ work. Nevertheless, in the modern world, there are some similarities between computers and humans, and some features may be adapted from one another. For example, each electronic device has an identifying IP address that allows sending data between various devices on a network (Mitchell, 2020). Just as the government uses residents’ SSN and passport numbers to get information about them, the internet needs IP addresses to differentiate between different routers, websites, and computers (Mitchell, 2020). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the prospect of assigning an IP address to a person.
It is evident that each citizen has a Social Security number (SSN), which allows the government to track the number of years worked and overall lifetime earnings, and a unique passport number containing some information. However, they still have a possibility of having private information, and though their computers get IP addresses every time they use a network to connect to the internet, it still does not say much about their owners. Thus, one may learn what was searched on a device, but it is rather challenging or even impossible to know precisely which of the users searched for this.
On the contrary, if everyone becomes assigned with unique IP numbers, there will be no privacy. Certainly, it will be much easier for the police to catch potential criminals by tracking suspicious searches or emails. However, such an achievement is not worth it if all people are deprived of the opportunity for the partially confidential use of electronic devices. Therefore, this paper claims that IP addresses should not be assigned to people. Residents should possess the right to have a private life and keep their personal data, apart from information provided by SSN and passport numbers, protected.
Reference
Mitchell, C. (2020). IP address. Investopedia. Web.