Is it reliable to use the IP address to identify a user on your website?

Question

Here is my situation. I am part of a project creating a P2P charity website, where users connect and can give money to one another. Because of the nature of the site, we kno

Answer 1

No, not least because:

1. IP Addresses can change over time, thanks to DHCP leases expiring.
2. People access websites from many different locations including home, work, coffee shops, etc.
3. When behind a NAT firewall or a proxy server, many people can share the same IP address.

Will you have many people registering who are entitled to receive money? I'd suggest a manual verification process using real people if at all possible. If nothing else, you can claim to be exercising due diligence if there's a human involved.