The Effects of IP Address Revelation on Location-Based Name-Calling and User Engagement: Evidence From a Chinese Online Platform

IP address revelation policies are a novel IT intervention designed to regulate user behaviors through de-anonymity and, in China, are implemented to curb misinformation. However, these policies may inadvertently encourage online attacks due to revealed geographic information. There is limited theoretical and empirical understanding of how these interventions influence user behaviors. Drawing on social identity theory, we introduce the scenario of “multiple identities” and analyze how individuals attack others—ostensibly because of the revealed geographic identity but fundamentally due to another salient and substantive identity of actual interest. We analyzed identities and attacks using data from Hupu.com, a Reddit-type platform. We observed an increase in location-based name-calling—where users attack others based on revealed geographic information—following Hupu’s implementation of the IP address revelation policy. Name-calling occurred specifically as political attacks and operated through a proxy model—instead of a choice model—of multiple identities, where the geographic identity was correlated with a more salient political identity, reflecting region-specific political stereotypes. Users leveraged this model to launch attacks for practical reasons, such as avoiding censorship. Relatedly, the policy led to a shift in content and a reduction in users’ geographic representation, as increased hostility discouraged in-depth contributions and deterred participation from users in certain regions. These findings suggest digital interventions revealing one identity (e.g., geographic) may unintentionally affect behaviors associated with another identity (e.g., political), emphasizing the need for careful design of interventions to enhance digital responsibility.