IP address is analogous to your house/apartment address. Which you "randomly" send out as your return address, whenever you mail a letter. You probably even put

IP address is analogous to your house/apartment address. Which you "randomly" send out as your return address, whenever you mail a letter. You probably even put your real name above the return address. Which gets at the problem- anonymity. Your physical mail habits are not completely collected and retained. And your electronic footprint has FAR surpassed your snail mail equivalent in the 50 years since the invention of IP. Your electronic footprint can reveal at your minute-by-minute location (maps), your buying habits, interests (searches, reddit subs), and a whole lot more (especially over time).