If you’re blocking commenters by IP address, yes it will, as it assigns an anonymized IP address to the visitor, just like a VPN would.
In general I don’t recommend blocking by IP address unless you absolutely have to. It’s too easy to get around (by using a VPN, open proxy, or simply going somewhere else like a coffee shop), and you also run the risk of blocking whole organizations that use shared IPs (like schools/universities, libraries, office buildings, etc).
Thank you! Is there any other way to block besides using IP address (assuming you’re not requiring any kind of registration to comment)? I think IP is the only option but would love to be wrong about that!
You can enter anything in the Blocklist section of Settings > Discussion, including names, email addresses, URLs, and even key words: https://wordpress.org/support/article/settings-discussion-screen/#comment-blocklist
Oh, I know — I just have no other way to block the people in this category, it’s got to be by IP (which so far has been very effective) since they don’t enter email addresses.
At Settings > Discussion, check “Comment author must fill out name and e-mail.”
And for good measure, also check “Comment author must have a previously approved comment,” which goes by the email address.
(@askamanager)
5 years ago
So does anyone know whether Apple’s announcement today that Safari will start hiding users’ IP addresses will affect comment moderation in WordPress? I can’t tell if it’s just blocking tracking for ads, or if it will make it impossible to do things like block certain visitors from commenting based on their IP address.