Let me help you guys out.
Your computer connects to an ISP
That ISP is given permission to send and receive internet traffic by a government created authority called the IANA which also hands out IP addresses. Without these IP addresses your data cant go out on the internet.
Your data has a source IP and a destination IP and the system works roughly like the USPS. At any point in the journey I can drop whats called a sniffer and not only see your data I can copy it. If I have ultimate access I can divert and change your data as well.