Sorry to alarm anyone. One would need a court order to get such details from your ISP (Internet Service Provider). This forum platform more than likely will have your IP address, as it needs it to connect you (the same for every other website you visit.) Your computer also has the IP address of TheCatSite and every other web service you are connected too. Personal private details beyond that is secured by your ISP, and only accessible to law enforcement or other such entities under a need to know under court order.I think that if you put anything in the "Location" field, then this forum software is essentially enabling geolocation services (w/ Google, which is one of the main bots). I've left my Location (and a lot of other things in my profile) blank.
But your IP address also connects you to a location, unless your ISP (et cetera) masks it.
Anne , @CvP? These are just my guesses...
TheCatSite.com's forums or account location field only provides to Google, the information you enter into that field. So, if you care to use the location field, by all means do so, just be mindful not to provide any specific details, as it will get sent to Google, and made public to the extent that they allow.
I sampled other member's who listed their locations, such as Michigan or Canada from outside the forums (logged out) and the linked Google location gave me only that...a map with Michigan and Canada highlighted with census data.
Over the years I have traced the IP of gaming servers that I was currently connected too, using legal means of course, and the most I could get from it was the City, State (or country), some other non-specific data and the ISP. No worries.