Is it possible that the IP address location differs from the actual location that the user is in?”
There is no way to be 100% sure of the location based on the IP address. A device called a proxy server (there are both hardware and software proxy servers) effectively assigns its own IP address to a session. The proxy server acts as the middleman (or switching station). * * * Your PC Proxy Server Host IP 1.2.3.4 sees your 1.2.3.4 doesn’t see 1.2.3.4 resets it to 55.66.77.88 sees you as 55.66.77.88 The actual IP of the the originating PC is hidden; the host sees only the one that the proxy server assigns. This is the way that many anonymizing systems (anonymous web browsers) work – used in Iran, Saudia Arabia, etc., where web browsing is controlled. In addition, libraries and universities often use proxy servers to provide access to commercial databases that they pay for (to users accessing from home). Bottom line: There is no absolute relationship between IP and physical location.
