cookies

IP addresses pose unique technical challenges because they are sent in the clear with every network request and because they may in some cases identify or help identify an individual, making them personal data. Since IP addresses are sent along with every packet on the Internet and precisely because they identify the sender to some extent, they also have many practical uses. Regulations like the GDPR contemplate these use cases under certain categories without requiring explicit user consent, but since they still are personal information, it is important to ensure that they are only used in connection to essential purposes that don’t require explicit consent or that consent is obtained prior to processing. The particular challenge of IP addresses compared to other personal information is that they can be very easily relayed to third parties by things as simple as having the user download a file.