Do you want to know if your Internet connection and your computer are already ready for IPv6? The IPv6 test page of wieistmeineip.de tells you. You can see the result directly in the browser. At the moment, however, it is likely to be negative for the most part. With my ip you can discover the best bit now.
IPv6 addresses: All information about the conversion
The Internet goes out the addresses: With “only” 4.3 billion possible IP addresses, the currently used IPv4 is no longer sufficient for the growing global number of Internet users. The new Internet protocol IPv6, with which up to 340 sextillion IP addresses are possible, can be remedied. That’s an incredible number with 39 digits. IPv6 addresses with up to 32 characters are significantly longer than the maximum of 12-digit IPv4 addresses used so far. Deutsche Telekom, O2 and Kabel Deutschland have announced that they will gradually make their Internet connections IPv6-capable – in the mobile Internet as well as DSL and cable connections. By 2015, IPv6 should be available on all German Internet connections. Customers usually notice little of the transition to the new Internet Protocol because even after the start of IPv6, the old IPv4 protocol continues to run for several years in parallel.
Why are privacy advocates warning about IPv6?
Data protectors fear that IPv6 is another step towards becoming a transparent citizen. With IPv6, every device connected to the Internet can be assigned its own, permanent and unmistakable address. And years later, the user could still use this address to determine who was visiting with which of his devices on which website. In the IPv4 world, on the other hand, the user got one address per Internet connection, which changed with each new session. The German IPv6 Council wants to establish guidelines for data protection.
Does IPv6 mean the end of anonymity on the Internet?
No. Because even the developers of IPv6 have provided privacy protection functions: With the so-called Privacy Extension, the last eight digits of the IPv6 address are changed automatically on a regular basis. With the IPv6 Internet connections of the German providers, this privacy protection will be active right from the start.
But beware: This privacy protection does not work on any computer yet, as it is not inherently enabled in every operating system. For example, on Android smartphones, you need to turn it on yourself, and this procedure is quite cumbersome.
On the other hand, Windows users are already on the safe side starting with Windows Vista, Mac users starting with MacOS X 10.7 and all iPhone owners starting with iOS 4.3. In order for users to be able to actually navigate the Internet somewhat unrecognized, Internet providers still have to offer their customers dynamic, i.e. regularly changing, IP addresses. In concrete terms, this means that you must regularly make the first half of the IPv6 address available to your customers. At Telekom, users should be able to initiate this with a Privacy Button in the router control even at any time.
