Yes and No!
Yes
Technically this is possible. If you are on the Internet, you have an unique, public IP address. This IP address is stored on every server you visit in the server log files. This leaves a trail in the network.
In addition to your IP address, other data is recorded, such as time of the request, the requested file, and also whether that could be delivered.
Your IP address is now part of the IP block of your access provider. Your ISP assigns you a free address, if you connect through it to the network. Your access provider thus knows who used the IP address and when.
If now someone looks in their log files, he finds a date and an IP address. The IP address leads to the provider and this might infer from the date of the user of the address, for example for you.
No
The provider can do that, but it will not do without a ruling. And this has to be obtained at first. That should not be that easy. Hence, there is a certain threshold.
Notes
It follows as conclusion, that it is technically possible, but not everyone gets this data at will.
This is further complicated by the use of proxies. If you use a proxy, you do not longer directly access to the remote server, but to the proxy, that itself will execute the request in its own name and address and pass the results back to you. Hence, the address of the proxy appears as caller. Important to know here is, that some proxies state for whom they executed the request and hence the originators IP might be passed.
Note that this just introduces another layer, but no principal protection. An appropriately authorized agency can follow the logged IP address back to the proxy, that will know for which real IP address it executed the request and can depict it.
It offers a certain amount of protection it offers only, because multiple users can use a proxy at the same time and if inaccurate logs make a precise mapping to the real IP address impossible.
So-called anonymizer offer their services. Technically they are proxies that act with the promise to not create any log file, who has requested what and when. An investigation can follow from the remote server back to the anonymity service and ends there. You only have to trust that the provider actually walks its talk, and – really – creates no logs. Only in this case it is technically not possible to reveal your real IP. This is (>risks-of-anonym-proxies|risk of anonymous proxies} and should not be underestimated.
For security reasons you should only choose a well known commercial provider.
Recommendations
- Ausgespäht und abgespeichert: Warum uns die totale Kontrolle droht und was wir dagegen tun können
- Das Ende der Privatsphäre: Der Weg in die Überwachungsgesellschaft
- Datenschutz im Internet: Die Grundlagen
- Kursbuch Datenschutz – Der Ratgeber gegen den Röntgenblick: Die gefährlichsten Datenfallen / Die besten Abwehrstrategien / Mit Sonderteil Kinder …
- Unerkannt im Netz: Sicher kommunizieren und recherchieren im Internet
