Can people see the IP address

spender

I use Gmail to communicate with people I have met on a forum. Obviously they are strangers at the moment. I sign into Gmail from my home laptop.

If I send an email via gmail to their email address can they see my IP address? I thought that I was using a google server.

I am not very technical so I hope that I have explained myself

Tropez

By default Gmail masks the sender's IP address if the email is sent from the Gmail web interface or Gmail apps. If you're using another client, however, such as Thunderbird or Outlook, then it probably wouldn't be masked.

When sent from the web or Gmail apps, the IP address given as the sender's IP in the email header will usually be that of the Gmail relay server.

kwikbreaks

Why would you care anyway? Just what are you expecting them to do with an IP address which in all likelihood will be different in a few days time anyway depending on your ISP.

onomatopoeia99

Even if they see your IP address it will only tell them the ISP you are using. Is that sensitive information?

esuhl

I'm pretty sure no one would see your IP address in an email header. If anything, you'd see the IP address of the sending mail server, wouldn't you...?

Jivesinger

I know it's not quite what the OP asked, but if I send myself a message using the Outlook 2007 client with gmail, then I can indeed see my IP address in the metadata for the message I receive. I'm guessing other clients may do the same.

However when sending from Gmail in a web browser, I haven't spotted the IP address.

Fightsback

esuhl wrote: »

I'm pretty sure no one would see your IP address in an email header. If anything, you'd see the IP address of the sending mail server, wouldn't you...?

Jivesinger is correct.

London_Ash

I wouldn't worry about it.

Most companies are sharing IP addresses these days. They pretend that an IP address is unique to a device, but it's not true these days.

Most big ISPs have been doing it since 2013.

http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/workspace/bt-retail-trials-ip-address-sharing-carrier-grade-na-115411

So your IP address is likely shared with many other people on the same ISP as you, therefore it's not unique.

MalcolmY

Complete nonsense above about the IP address!

The OP is right to be cautious about disclosing the IP.

The fact that the IP changes regularly (sometimes the same day, sometimes after a week or two) is not relevant given the sophistication of trackers and beacons. There are some re-marketing companies that can tell not just your exact address, but the company you work for, the number of employees at the company, their turnover and even your shoe size within a second of you landing on a site. That's because they're associating your IP with known cookies and trackers and when your IP changes the associated data gets updated to the new IP the moment you land on a site that recognises a cookie.

Don't trust gmail to not reveal your real IP, but BLOCK them from doing it. That's easily achieved with TOR.

Cycrow

esuhl wrote: »

I'm pretty sure no one would see your IP address in an email header. If anything, you'd see the IP address of the sending mail server, wouldn't you...?

The email header holds both the server and client information.

How much of this information is included would depend on the client and server setup

kwikbreaks

Malcom - could I interest you in one of these....



It's certainly true that advertising trackers are sophisticated but there is no relevance in that to whether or not an email recipient can work out the IP it was sent from or make any use of that info if they can.

Cookies are just text files stored by the browser and your IP is irrelevant to their use.