Why change your IP address
Changing your IP address can be useful if you want to avoid being attacked by other users who
are targeting your IP address, or if you simply want a new online identity from an IP standpoint.
You can change your IP address on a Mac at any time through System.

Don’t worry. Changing your IP address is easy, even if you’ve never done it before.
It’s also perfectly safe and — as long as you’re not using it to break other laws — it’s
legal. Your computer and phone have several types of IP addresses (short for
internet protocol, a unique series of numbers that identify your specific device with
your online browsing), but we’ll focus on the type normally changed to protect your
privacy as you browse, and those which make you appear like you’re in a different
country.

If you just want to change your IP address without the additional privacy boost,
you can either enter your preferred IP manually, or you can just force your
device to retrieve a new one automatically.

Is it even legal to change your IP
address?

Yes, it’s legal to change your IP address in the US. People change their IP
addresses routinely when facing direct attacks on their online security, when
testing a website before it goes live, or when they simply prefer to protect their
privacy. Obviously, this FAQ is in no way offering legal advice and you should
consult a licensed attorney for specific questions, but the legal boundaries on
IP address changes usually start with what you change your IP to, and what
you do with that new IP address.

If you’ve changed your IP to impresonate individual or a business — often
called IP spoofing — you could be running afoul of the US Computer Fraud and
Abuse Act. You might also run into trouble if you’re changing your IP address
to access a website you’ve been banned from. IP spoofing is also a tool used
by some cybercriminals to perform a handful of well-known attacks, most
commonly those related to identity theft and those aimed at crippling websites
with organized distributed denial of service bombardment.