Paper Type
Short
Paper Number
PACIS2026-1841
Description
Social media platforms increasingly display users' IP-based locations to curb toxic behavior, yet this deanonymization mechanism can also suppress participation and exacerbate location-based hostility. Prior research has largely treated IP location disclosure as a binary policy, overlooking how the disclosure interface shapes users' attention, accountability, and intergroup bias. We propose a decoupling strategy grounded in SIDE and digital nudging theory: (1) reducing the visual salience of IP location labels by shifting from persistent to on-demand, click-to-view disclosure, and (2) introducing pre-posting nudges (empathy and privacy) to maintain accountability at posting. We evaluate these interventions in a controlled NeuroIS experiment using eye-tracking and EEG. Theoretically, the study extends the SIDE model to geo-based semi-anonymity and shows that identity visibility and accountability can be regulated independently through interface design. Practically, the findings inform platform governance by identifying configurations that deter harmful speech without continuously priming intergroup boundaries.
Recommended Citation
Gao, Huilin and Chen, Siting, "Decoupling Accountability from Identity Cues: Optimizing IP Location Disclosure Through Interface Design" (2026). PACIS 2026 Proceedings. 10.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2026/hci_robotic/hci_robotic/10
Decoupling Accountability from Identity Cues: Optimizing IP Location Disclosure Through Interface Design
Social media platforms increasingly display users' IP-based locations to curb toxic behavior, yet this deanonymization mechanism can also suppress participation and exacerbate location-based hostility. Prior research has largely treated IP location disclosure as a binary policy, overlooking how the disclosure interface shapes users' attention, accountability, and intergroup bias. We propose a decoupling strategy grounded in SIDE and digital nudging theory: (1) reducing the visual salience of IP location labels by shifting from persistent to on-demand, click-to-view disclosure, and (2) introducing pre-posting nudges (empathy and privacy) to maintain accountability at posting. We evaluate these interventions in a controlled NeuroIS experiment using eye-tracking and EEG. Theoretically, the study extends the SIDE model to geo-based semi-anonymity and shows that identity visibility and accountability can be regulated independently through interface design. Practically, the findings inform platform governance by identifying configurations that deter harmful speech without continuously priming intergroup boundaries.
Comments
12-HCI