Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, told users on Thursday it would start to publish their IP locations on their account pages and when they post comments, in a bid to combat “bad behaviour” online.
The move, posted on Weibo’s official account, garnered over 200 million views and was widely discussed, with some users rattled by the perceived reduction in their online anonymity.
“Every IP address seems to be whispering in your ear: ‘You be careful,'” wrote user Misty. Others, however, said they were supportive of the measures, in light of COVID-related misinformation.
“Especially at a time when the COVID situation is still serious, IPs being swiftly revealed can effectively reduce the appearance of disgusting content from rumour-makers and rumor-spreaders,” wrote user UltraScarry.
Weibo (WB (WB)), which has more than 570 million monthly active users, said that users’ IP addresses will be displayed with the new settings enabled on Thursday and users will not be able to opt out.
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