07-10-2013, 03:17 PM
...and like all the best ploys, it's got a grain of truth.
In most cases, unmasking the "owner" of a given IP address would involve a subpoena to the ISP -- but sometimes the IP address is actually registered to a business (or individual).
In the case of an ISP, the IP address can divulge enough information to be useful -- more so in a smaller population where broadband availability is limited.
Example: how many Telcom DSL users are there in, say, Keaau? Remember DSL has a distance limit of about three miles. A remote DSLAM (like the ones in Orchidland or Ainaloa) typically has its own IP block; these addresses might not be publically SWIP'd, but it's pretty trivial to make an educated guess.
Cable is a little more difficult because DOCSIS is flat L2 all the way to the CMTS...
Wireless is even more difficult.
Then again, with the massive total surveillance, how do we even have crime anymore?