We track website visitors by recording their IP address.
IP address stands for Internet Protocol address which is a unique set of numbers (e.g. 192.123.456.123) which identifies your device and allows it to communicate with other devices connected to the Internet.
There are two types of IPs, Dynamic and Fixed. When an individual connects their computer to the internet they either connect with the same IP address every time (Fixed IP), or they connect with a new IP address (Dynamic IP) which expires every so often. Depending on the ISP (Internet Service Provider) and type of connection you use, you will be allocated either a Static IP or a Dynamic IP.
You can check what your IP address is by using a website like whatismyipaddress.com
As soon as a visitor lands on your website a footprint is left behind. This footprint contains information about the visitor. This visit will be recorded by the ISP and in some cases, it will also be recorded by the website owner of the page visited.
In this footprint, there will be information like the date and time and the IP address.
Our system collates this information and digs a little further using data from various sources. Some information is freely available regarding IP addresses. All IP addresses are released and allocated in batches. This means that in a particular range, certain information become available, including your ISP and your geographical location. (it is usually up to the level of a city and not an actual address) Sometimes depending on the ISP and its system for allocating the IP addresses some of this geographical data may not be accurate.
Our system will only use Static IPs to identify who a user is, since the information supplied by the owner of the Static IP will usually have a 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.
Many customers ask if what we are doing is legal vis-a-vis data protection laws and most recently GDPR . The short answer is yes. We are only supplying information that is available in the public domain and putting it in a 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 linked to a computer and not the individual using that device.
Moreover, we only provide business related (B2B) leads 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 behind the IP. We can never tell you the name of the individual that visited your website from the company as that is considered as personal data and it is very difficult to achieve in any case.
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.
We recommend that you add the following to your privacy policy:
Legal Statement:
Our website uses software that tracks your IP data. This information is supplied to us from Thewebally.com. Thewebally.com is a service offered by Isle Dynamics Limited and uses only information available from the public domain.
When you visit our website we may automatically log your IP address, a unique identifier used on the internet to identify your computer or other access device. We will not use your IP address to identify you, the individual, in any way
Self-service covers every aspect of life these days, but we still believe in the power of having someone to talk to. Maybe it's to bounce off ideas and explore new opportunities. Maybe it's just to say hello.
In any case, we will only use your contact details to get in touch with you regarding your enquiry - and nothing else!
