How modern governments benefit from IP address data

Governments in this modern age increasingly rely on both online presence and a myriad of assets or infrastructure that are connected to the internet in some form. This often causes a scramble within these organizations to not only manage these systems but to also stay ahead of the game. In other words, an online presence means they need to detect threats or security breaches right away and one way to do this is by enriching all the data they have.

Consider the response to COVID-19. Governments had to move away from in person systems in order to keep operating as well. According to the UN, many government organizations across the globe weren’t prepared to develop digital platforms at scale.  

Then there’s government cybersecurity. It’s estimated that the US government alone lost over $13 billion to cybercrime in one year. That’s not including banking sectors or other industries. Needless to say, cyber warfare is fast becoming a necessity for any government organizations and they will need to always be one step ahead in order to combat all forms of cyber attacks such as malicious traffic, denial of service attacks, disruptions of systems, and much more.

All this to say, IP address data can help government organizations protect citizens and prevent losses on several fronts. Here are the main points we’ll cover in this article:

1. Can government organizations rely on IP address data?
2. How IP data is being used by governments around the globe
3. Case Study: Estonia and digital governments

Before we get to the ways modern governments are using our IP address insights, here are a few important facts to know about data security.

Can government organizations rely on IP address data?

IPinfo’s IP address data is being used by governments on every continent across the globe. There are several reasons for this.

1. Security

Since security is an important consideration for agencies and other users, we protect the privacy of government organizations and our other users, never selling or distributing our sensitive information. But beyond that, our data helps governments protect their online assets from malicious traffic. More on this later.

2. Accuracy

Our data is also used by governments around the globe because they know they can trust the insights we offer. Every day our databases are updated with the most accurate information at any given time. We have our own systems of rigorous data retrieval, which when paired with our unique algorithms, provides users with one of the most comprehensive databases of IP address information available anywhere.

3. Reliable

Additionally, our infrastructure automatically scales to handle more requests as needed. And since our uptime is around 99.9 percent, cybersecurity, cyberwarfare, online asset protection and beyond aren’t compromised as a result of failed IP address infrastructure. As it is, we process over 40 billion requests per month for over 100,000 businesses and developers.

4. Efficient onboarding

Since IPinfo collaborates with government organizations, we know what it takes to procure our data and are equipped to make the process as quick & easy as possible. We can accommodate any requirements, including passing any necessary checks/requirements along with fulfilling any SLA requirements.

So if you’re an organization concerned about security, accuracy, reliability, and efficiency these are a few of the many reasons other governments have chosen our data for their use case.

But whether or not you choose to use IPinfo’s data, these are some of the ways our IP address information is being used around the globe to help governments fulfill their responsibilities to their citizens.

How IP data is being used by governments around the globe

1. Cybersecurity and forensics

One way we’ve seen IP address data used is to improve cybersecurity and conduct other investigations. A handful of nations, for instance, use our Privacy Detection API to identify masked users and mitigate online threats.

The data from this API allows governments to expose VPN users, proxy users, tor usage, or a connection via a hosting provider. As a result, organizations can prevent malicious traffic from accessing content, sites, or other government assets.

2. Fighting cyberwarfare

As more government organizations move towards digital platforms, we’ve also seen IP address data used to fight cyberwarfare. A country in the northern hemisphere, for example, uses IP address insights to conduct threat intelligence and detect online attacks before they occur.

Similar to for-profit and nonprofit organizations, government servers contain information that includes emails and sensitive files - information that needs to stay under lock and key.

But with IP address data, these agencies can mitigate brute-force login attempts by tracking login attempts tied to a specific IP. In other words, government entities can protect themselves by using accurate IP data.

3. Managing online assets

Other government organizations use IP address data to keep online assets secure.

For instance, one country has set up a security operations center (SOC) of sorts using IP information. Since SOCs often control buildings or other facilities from a central location, they typically monitor who enters these buildings, alarm systems, lights, vehicle barriers, and much more.

From a cybersecurity standpoint, governments can create online SOCs of sorts. In these instances, IP address data can be used to populate logs and gain better visibility over online assets, much like SOCs that are created to monitor physical assets.

4. Monitoring government employee access

Additionally, these organizations can use IP address data to monitor employee or student access to resources.

For instance, a university uses IPinfo’s insights to track their Macs all over the world with respect to their users’ privacy. Here’s what they had to say about using IP address data and protecting privacy:

"We use IPinfo's geolocation data to enrich device status data in our reporting system. With IPinfo we have an approximate idea of where in the world our Macs are. It has been working quite well. We could leverage the location service on devices, but that would be raising privacy concerns, so the IP data is perfect for that kind of balance."

In other words, they’ve developed a system where every Mac connected to the school reports into this system so the university technology team can track anonymous information such as this:

• Software status
• Hardware
• Age of device
• IP address

Then, using IPinfo’s geolocation data, they also keep track of the approximate location of devices. This same concept can be applied to devices used by government employees. IPinfo’s data can help agencies keep track of device location while respecting individuals’ privacy, allowing further protection and monitoring of sensitive information.

5. Online teaching and training

Another challenge faced by governments is monitoring online classes and training. Putting all government information out for public consumption may put individuals at risk. Therefore, to ensure that only employees access this information, online courses can use IP address data to authenticate users.

IPinfo’s Privacy Detection API identifies masked identities. After detecting hidden IPs, this data can be used to block users who use VPNs or other methods. In addition, geolocation data (like the Geolocation API offered with IPinfo’s free plan) shows where individual users are located when accessing these courses.

For example, say a user’s IP points to France. But if the device is accessing training courses for employees of the Brazillian government, this looks highly suspicious. IP address data, therefore, helps pinpoint suspicious activity such as this and prevent access.

Case Study: Estonia and digital governments

A recent study revealed several public services that are typically weak or slow to innovate digitally. These are a few worth mentioning:

1. Law and justice
2. Energy
3. Defense
4. Social services
5. Health care
6. Higher education

And while some of these sectors are slow to prioritize digital user-centricity for good reasons, one of the highest barriers to change is insufficient funding. However, Estonia - a country that’s public services are 99 percent digital - developed online solutions primarily because online options were less expensive.

For instance, Estonians have online IDs, e-governance, interoperability services, online voting and digital healthcare options, to name a few. Additionally, these citizens also experience a strong online banking and ecommerce presence. So even though Estonia did face social isolation and all the other emotional difficulties as a result of the pandemic, they didn’t face as many differences when it came to governance, voting, or healthcare.

And while not all governments need to function exactly like Estonia, Covid-19 showed us just how much digital communication and public services impact citizens. In short, IP address data is one way governments like Estonia can offer public services such as online voting, electronic contracts, digital prescriptions, government aid, and more.

By using IP address data to verify and monitor online transactions, requests, and logins, government agencies can make public services more accessible to citizens and employees alike.

Ready to learn more ways IPinfo can help governments? Connect with a data expert to learn more!