As others have told you, it is not possible to relate an IP address to a Zip Code. At least not reliably... As for reading email, I don't believe that case law has dealt with this issue yet, so it's a gray area. It is against Federal law to tamper with the US mail, including opening another's mailbox and reading mail addressed to another person, but that doesn't extend to electronic communications. In fact, this may be an issue which may take a long time to settle. For instance, in accordance with the WARC conference and treaty of 1939, it is against international law, and by extension US law, to block any electronic transmission. For this reason, cities and police departments who try to prevent the use of scanners by the public find themselves in deep doodoo with the Feds. It is permissible to scramble a communication, but not to forbid listening to it. It is also illegal to rebroadcast overheard transmissions, and by extension, it would be illegal for you to read someone else's email and tell a third party what you read. But I doubt if the law is all that clear about whether you commit a crime by reading it yourself. In the US, at least, the 'Right to Privacy' is a fiction - there is no such legal right in the Constitution. But it is a strong taboo here that any person or company would be wise to observe. If your employer is asking you to snoop, it's probably not against the law, but it is certainly unethical, and your customers will leave you in droves if they find out about it. And they will...
Will Rogers never met me.
