IP Addresses in Plain Text

safe?

[andrethegiant]

I am currently designing a website that tracks the ip addresses of everyone that visits. However, all of these addresses can be read in the source. Is this ok? I don't want to go into too much detail about what my site's about (so no one steals my idea) but it needs to have the ip addresses in the source. I could encrypt them, is that necessary?

[txbakers]

I don't see a problem with it unless you are doing something illegal or immoral.

IP addresses are pretty much public knowledge.

But if you are using them to "out" your visitors (using reverse DNS to give their domains or physical location) then remind me to stay far away from your site.

IP addresses appear in the server logs, so they are readily available anyway.