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

I have read a lot of users saying that you have to hash IP addresses - and a lot of others who say I don't have to because it is not private information.

I use IP addresses 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 opinions from people who know more about privacy things like this?

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