Do I have to hash user's IP addresses when I log them?

I have read a lot of users saying the you have to hash IP addresses - and a lot of others who say I don't have to because it is no private information.

I use IPs for identifying users because they can download files but have limited traffic (per day).

Are there articles or blog posts where this is illustrated or meanings from people who know more about privacy things like this?

I obviously tried searching on google - but there are almost no suitable results.