The usefulness of trace route programs is that you are able to trace an ip address of a website for example. the you are even able to pinpoint its location on a digital map. Some trace route programs like ip-adress.org not only lets you trace other websites but also yourself. It also keeps tracks of how many "hops" it took from one machine to another to get to it's final destination. Traceroute is also very detailed listing the router's name, network, and geographical distance.
Programs like traceroute can also compromise someones network security. If you are able to pinpoint the ip address of some router you can use those things for bad things. one example is that personal information from the computer can be leaked or taken from them without hem knowing. You could even frame someone by using there ip address and if they get caught hacking for example they will trace it back to you r ip address and not the one who actually committed the crime. Traceroute can even list technical details. Someone could use this information to break into your computer and again take personal information to their advantage. Overall, in my opinion the traceroute is a interesting program but can be used for crimes as well.
