{ "vercy": "1.0-draft", "publication": { "status": "research-draft", "adjudicationStatus": "unreviewed", "publishableCanonical": false, "generatedAt": "2026-09-13T23:00:42Z", "providers": [ "Claude" ], "breadth": "written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify", "pass": 2, "wave": 4, "engine": "claude", "enrichment": { "pass": 3, "engine": "claude", "producedAt": "2026-10-06T12:00:00Z", "ingestedAt": "2026-10-06T07:40:30+00:00", "fields": [ "agent_conduct", "ethics", "owners" ] }, "revisions": [ { "at": "2026-10-06T22:29:38+00:00", "engine": "codex", "fields": [ "definition" ], "answering_review": "5a571bad36b828663633db2049da5d8d057e9c34db4f3f2e7d4238893bfc90ca" } ], "gate": { "passed": true, "version": "1.0", "at": "2026-10-07T10:10:25+00:00", "evidence": [ "completeness 1.00", "sense: Wikidata description", "2 live sources", "review by codex: pass" ] } }, "metaModel": { "id": "THING-Q11135", "registryId": "vr.tr.ip-address", "name": "IP address", "version": "0.2.0-wave.4", "entryKind": "thing", "family": "Thing Registry", "domain": [ "INF.MED" ], "status": "research-draft" }, "canonicalUrl": "https://ver.cy/models/thing/q11135/", "model": { "registry_id": "vr.tr.ip-address", "name": "IP address", "purpose": "Let an agent explain IP addresses, relay formats, allocation, private ranges, DHCP, NAT and privacy from IETF, IANA and data protection sources, describe the named address types and flag network aliases, and distinguish IP addresses from MAC addresses, domain names, ports and physical locations, without enabling tracking or attacks.", "definition": "A numerical label assigned to a network interface on a network that uses the Internet Protocol, identifying the host and enabling routing, in IPv4 as a 32-bit address usually written in dotted decimal, and in IPv6, standardised in RFC 2460 of 1998 and RFC 8200 of 2017, as a 128-bit address written in hexadecimal; addresses may be static or dynamically assigned by DHCP, and private IPv4 address ranges defined in RFC 1918 and IPv6 unique local addresses are used inside private and enterprise networks. Private IPv4 networks commonly use network address translation for public Internet access, while IPv6 unique local addresses do not require address translation for their use. The registry aliases private network and enterprise private network name networks rather than addresses. IP addresses can be personal data under laws such as the GDPR, and this model gives no guidance on tracking or attacking individuals.", "what_it_is_for": "Identifying and routing to devices on IP networks.", "affordances": [ "explain IPv4 and IPv6 formats", "relay allocation and private ranges", "describe named address types", "relay privacy considerations" ], "distinguishing_features": [ "Hierarchical allocation", "IPv4 exhaustion", "Private and public ranges", "Personal data status" ], "appearance": "Not a physical object; strings such as dotted decimal or colon-separated hexadecimal numbers.", "visual_identification": [ "Network-layer address in IP networks", "Private network, enterprise private network, dynamic IP address, static IP address, IPv6 address, unique local address", "MAC addresses identify hardware on local links; domain names map to addresses; ports identify services; IP addresses give only approximate location" ], "physical_properties": [ { "quantity": "IPv4 address length", "typical_range": "32", "unit": "bits", "note": "about 4.3 billion addresses" }, { "quantity": "IPv6 address length", "typical_range": "128", "unit": "bits", "note": "" }, { "quantity": "RFC 1918 private ranges", "typical_range": "1996", "unit": "year", "note": "10/8, 172.16/12, 192.168/16" } ], "families_and_kinds": [ "IPv4 addresses", "IPv6 addresses", "static and dynamic addresses", "private and unique local addresses", "anycast and multicast addresses" ], "related_models": [ { "relation": "is a kind of", "target": "network address", "why": "in registry terms" }, { "relation": "is allocated by", "target": "Internet Assigned Numbers Authority", "why": "through regional registries" }, { "relation": "is contrasted with", "target": "MAC address", "why": "" }, { "relation": "is contrasted with", "target": "private network", "why": "network rather than address" } ], "identifiers": [], "standards_and_regulation": [ "IETF RFC 791, RFC 8200, RFC 1918, RFC 4193", "Regional Internet Registry policies", "GDPR treatment of IP addresses as personal data" ], "failure_modes_and_hazards": [ "Enabling tracking or harassment", "Overstating geolocation accuracy", "Exposing devices without firewalls" ], "in_scope": [], "out_of_scope": [], "characteristics": [], "agent_conduct": { "may": [ "Explain IP addressing, IPv4 and IPv6 notation and how routing uses addresses.", "Manage addresses on networks the agent is authorized to administer.", "State the limits of IP geolocation honestly when asked to locate an address." ], "must_not": [ "Use an IP address to track, locate or harass a person.", "Scan or probe addresses on networks it is not authorized to test.", "Present an IP address as proof of who a person is.", "Publish logs that tie IP addresses to identifiable people without a legal basis." ], "requires_human": [ "Blocking or reporting an address that may be shared by many innocent users.", "Handing address records to a third party seeking a person's identity." ] }, "ethics": { "considerations": [ "An IP address can be personal data and can lead to a person's home or identity.", "Shared and reassigned addresses mean that blaming the address can blame the wrong person." ], "affected_parties": [ "Internet users", "Network operators", "People wrongly identified" ] }, "owners": { "steward": "The network operator that assigned it; regional internet registries record the allocation of address blocks.", "master_systems": [ "Regional internet registry allocation databases" ] } }, "sources": [ { "id": "wikidata", "title": "Wikidata item Q11135: IP address", "url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11135", "url_status": "live", "what_it_supports": "identity and sense of the item", "checked_by": "wikidata-api" }, { "id": "wikipedia-en", "title": "Wikipedia: IP address", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address", "url_status": "live", "what_it_supports": "general description of the item", "checked_by": "wikidata-api sitelink" } ], "structure": { "bundles": [ { "id": "understand", "name": "Understand", "description": "What an IP address is.", "rationale": "Definition.", "layers": [ { "id": "definition", "name": "Definition", "description": "Definition.", "findings": [ { "id": "definition-finding", "name": "Definition", "description": "Definition.", "questions": [ { "text": "What is an IP address, and how does it differ from MAC addresses, domain names, ports and physical locations?", "kind": "definition" }, { "text": "Is someone being threatened or harassed by a person claiming to know their IP address, in which case report to police or the platform?", "kind": "boundary" } ] } ] }, { "id": "types", "name": "Types", "description": "Named types.", "findings": [ { "id": "types-finding", "name": "Types", "description": "Types.", "questions": [ { "text": "What are dynamic, static, IPv6 and unique local addresses, and why are private networks different?", "kind": "definition" }, { "text": "Which entry fits the specific type?", "kind": "action" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "technical", "name": "Technical", "description": "Formats and allocation.", "rationale": "Regulation.", "layers": [ { "id": "formats", "name": "Formats", "description": "IPv4 and IPv6.", "findings": [ { "id": "formats-finding", "name": "Formats", "description": "Formats.", "questions": [ { "text": "How are IPv4 and IPv6 addresses structured and written?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Which references are standard?", "kind": "provenance" } ] } ] }, { "id": "allocation", "name": "Allocation", "description": "Allocation.", "findings": [ { "id": "allocation-finding", "name": "Allocation", "description": "Allocation.", "questions": [ { "text": "How do IANA and regional registries allocate addresses, and why did IPv4 run out?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Which sources are cited?", "kind": "provenance" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "networks", "name": "Networks", "description": "Local networks.", "rationale": "Science.", "layers": [ { "id": "nat", "name": "NAT", "description": "Network address translation.", "findings": [ { "id": "nat-finding", "name": "NAT", "description": "NAT.", "questions": [ { "text": "How do private ranges and NAT let many devices share a public address?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Which entry fits network address translation?", "kind": "action" } ] } ] }, { "id": "dhcp", "name": "DHCP", "description": "Dynamic assignment.", "findings": [ { "id": "dhcp-finding", "name": "DHCP", "description": "DHCP.", "questions": [ { "text": "How does DHCP assign dynamic addresses?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Which entry fits Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol?", "kind": "action" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "context", "name": "Context", "description": "Privacy.", "rationale": "Attribution.", "layers": [ { "id": "privacy", "name": "Privacy", "description": "Privacy.", "findings": [ { "id": "privacy-finding", "name": "Privacy", "description": "Privacy.", "questions": [ { "text": "Why do courts and regulators treat IP addresses as personal data in some contexts?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Is the presentation neutral and free of tracking guidance?", "kind": "boundary" } ] } ] }, { "id": "geolocation", "name": "Geolocation", "description": "Geolocation limits.", "findings": [ { "id": "geolocation-finding", "name": "Geolocation", "description": "Geolocation.", "questions": [ { "text": "How accurate is IP geolocation, and why is it often wrong?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Which entry fits geolocation software?", "kind": "action" } ] } ] } ] } ] }, "openQuestions": [ "The registry aliases private network and enterprise private network should be moved to network entries", "Should IPv6 address be a separate entry?", "How should IETF RFCs be linked?" ], "statistics": { "bundles": 4, "layers": 8, "findings": 8, "questions": 16 } }