How Does Whois Visiting
What Is An IP Address?
An IP address is a unique identifier known as an Internet Protocol address. This helps computers and other devices connected to the internet identify and communicate with each other.
When an individual connects their computer to the internet it has one of two options. They either connect with the same IP address every time, known as a Static IP address or they connect with a new IP address, known as a Dynamic IP. Depending on the ISP (Internet Service Provider) you use, you will be allocated either a Static IP or a Dynamic IP.
If you are unsure what IP address type you have, firstly make a note of your current IP address and then simply disconnect your internet connection, reconnect it and check if your IP has changed. You can do this at whatismyipaddress.com
How Does Whois Visiting Use IP Addresses?
As soon as a visitor lands on your website (or even if you visit a website) a footprint, as we like to call it, is left behind. This footprint contains information about your visit. This visit will be recorded by your ISP and sometimes it will also be recorded by the page owner of the website that you visited.
In this record are things like your IP address and the date and time that you landed on their site.
Whoisvisiting collates this base information and digs a little further using data pulls from various sources. Limited information is freely available regarding any IP address. All IP addresses are released and allocated in batches (or ranges) whether it is a Dynamic or Static IP. This means that in a particular range certain pieces of information become available, like your ISP and your geographical location. (Although this is generally a city not an actual address) Sometimes depending on the ISP and its system for allocating the IP addresses some of this geographical data may be wrong.
Whois visiting will only use Static IPs to identify who a user is. This is because the information supplied by the owner of the Static IP will have registered business information that we can source from their ISP. A dynamic IP will not hold any information that can be used so we do not show the details of this visit.
Data Protection & IP Addresses
Many customers ask if what we are doing is legal. The short answer is yes. We are only supplying information that is available in the public domain and putting it all in a real time, consolidated and quick to use format.
The Data Protection Act regulates the collection and use of Personal Data. An IP address on its own is not personal data. This is because it is focused on a computer and not the individual using that device.
In addition, we only provide business related (B2B) leads through to you and therefore the opportunity to reach out to these businesses is the same as any other marketing approach you may take when reaching out.
We do not collect information on individuals. We only focus our efforts on identifying the organisation that registered the IP. We will not tell you the name of the individual that visited your website from the company as that is classed as personal data. We will help you find out the name of the company visiting you and the rest of the work to speak to the relevant person is up to yourself.
In terms of best practices, we advise that you amend your privacy policy to reassure your own visitors that you are not individually profiling them.
Just Add:
Legal Statement:
Our website uses software that tracks your IP data. This information is supplied to us from Whoisvisiting.com. Whoisvisiting.com is a service offered by Whoisdata Limited and uses only information available from the public domain.
When you visit our site we may automatically log your IP address, a unique identifier for your computer or other access device. We will not use your IP address to identify you, the individual, in any way.
