Wikipedia:Complex sock puppets

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This Wikipedia page is currently inactive and is retained primarily for historical interest. Per Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines: "A historical page is any proposal for which consensus is unclear, where discussion has died out for whatever reason." If you want to revive discussion regarding the subject, you should seek broader input via a forum such as the village pump.

The aim of this policy is to deal with the problem that is Wikipedia:Suspected sock puppets. Admins have basically stopped dealing with this page. The cases there are too difficult to judge upon, there's too much in-fighting in every case and its one massive headache. As has been noted, any debate that's reached that far has probably lost all good faith.

However, sock puppetry is clearly an issue if abused. It is obviously frustrating to report sock puppetry and for us to basically ignore the report. Clearly, then, this needs solving.

It seems to me that the best way to do this to create two pages:

• Wikipedia:Simple sock puppets
• Wikipedia:Complex sock puppets

The two really speak for themselves. The first page is for the reporting of obvious cases of sock puppetry to be delt with quickly by admins who can block users on sight. It would be a good way of getting rid of people who are blatantly violating our polices.

The second is for the more complex sort of case where users suspect that sock puppetry is going on, but in the form of two/three users who share the same opinion editing at one page. In effect, it may become a preliminary to requests for checkuser, acting as a filter to stop every suspicion getting that far. It could even solve some cases itself. Hopefully by splitting the complex from the easy (as we do with vandalism) we can make the caseload much more manageable. At the moment, Wikipedia:Suspected sock puppets has basically collapsed.

This is the complex page. In defining simple/complex, I've stolen the categories used at the requests for check user page. Basically, I'm seeking feedback and I hope this, or something along these lines, can be introduced!

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Welcome to Wikipedia:Complex sockpuppets. This is the place for listing cases of suspected sockpuppetry for administrative attention prior to requesting that checkuser is used. This is for cases where actions are not obivously sockpuppetry to the outside observer, but where there is reasonable suspicsion that a user is abusing Wikipedia's sockpuppetry policy.

Do not expect cases listed here to be answered immediatly. This page is designed for cases where an admin will have to spend time investigating the acitvities of an eidtor (or a group of editors). Results may be inconclusive or may result in requests for checkuser to confirm suspicisions. Where abuse of sockpuppet accounts is obvious, please go to Wikipedia:Simple sock puppets.

Please remember to assumer good faith. Being labelled a sockpuppet can be deeply offensive and hurtful to innocent users. Posting here in order to attempt to discredit users or to disrupt a debate will result in sanctions.

Contents 1 What to List Here 2 Reporting suspected sock puppets

[edit] What to List Here

Code	Situation	Solution
—	Obvious, disruptive sock puppet	List at Wikipedia:Simple sockpuppets
—	Disruptive "throwaway" account used only for a few edits	List at Wikipedia:Simple sockpuppets
—	Question about a possible sock puppet related to an open arbitration case	Request checkuser on the arbitration case pages.
—	Request to identify and block the IP addresses responsible for blatant vandalism and attack accounts	List at Wikipedia:Requests for checkuser
—	Evasion of bans or other remedies issued by the arbitration committee	List at Wikipedia:Requests for checkuser
—	Ongoing, serious pattern vandalism	List at Wikipedia:Requests for checkuser
A	Vote fraud on ongoing vote	List here with diffs
—	Vote fraud where the possible sockpuppet votes do not affect the outcome of the vote	List on Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents
—	Vote fraud for a closed vote where the possible sockpuppet votes affect the outcome	List at Wikipedia:Requests for checkuser
—	3RR violation using socks	List at Wikipedia:Requests for checkuser
—	Evasion of community-based bans or blocks	List at Wikipedia:Requests for checkuser
B	Other disruption of articles	List here with diffs
—	Open proxy where you already know the IP address	List on Wikipedia:WikiProject on open proxies

[edit] Reporting suspected sock puppets

Before creating a report here, please be sure that: That there is a current problem: cases of sock puppetry obviously older than one week are useless. If the problem is not current, just watch the user and report when you see a new instance of abuse. You have strong evidence. If your evidence is weak, then it will be nearly impossible to reach a determination of sock puppetry. The sock puppet account you suspect is not already blocked. Suspicions that, for example, involve Willy on Wheels, will most likely be blocked immediately.

1. An alternate account that is not used for abuse does not warrant a complaint. Keep in mind that users may sometimes make mistakes, so in cases where an alternate account is largely used for legitimate activities, it may be appropriate to ask the user before making accusations. The problem might merely have been caused by a mistaken login or other absent-mindedness.
2. Tag the user page (not the user talk page) of the suspected puppet account with the text {{subst:Complexsock|PUPPETMASTER}}, replacing the term PUPPETMASTER with the account name of the user you suspect of being in control. This template will alert readers of the suspected puppet's user page that someone thinks the account is a bad-faith secondary account, and will be told which account is thought to be in charge.
3. Look at the template you've just added to the user page, by either saving or previewing your work. If the link "Wikipedia:Complex sock puppets/PUPPETMASTER" is not red, that means there is an existing evidence page about this possible puppetmaster, i.e. the user has been suspected in the past. If that link is red, go ahead and click it, to create a new evidence page on the suspected puppetmaster. On the other hand, if there is already an existing evidence page for this user, you should start a fresh evidence page under a different name. Use the next available name in the series [[Wikipedia:Complex sock puppets/PUPPETMASTER (2nd)]] (or (3rd), (4th) and so on). Remember to replace the term PUPPETMASTER with the actual account name of the user, and don't forget to save the user page that you just modified.
4. The evidence page you are editing should be fresh. If there's already evidence in it, you need to use a different page name, according to the previous step. As the first line in your page, paste in this text, {{subst:Complexsock2|1=PUPPETMASTER|2=PUPPET}}, replacing the terms PUPPETMASTER and PUPPET with the account names of the suspected users.
5. Now write up your evidence into the page, and save it. Your evidence should describe why you believe there's puppetry occurring, however obvious it might be. If this is not the first time the user is suspected, links to other cases you know about should be provided as well. The evidence should point to one or more instances of illegitimate use of the puppet account.
6. If the evidence page was initiated by you, add the line {{Wikipedia:Suspected sock puppets/PUPPETMASTER}} here, or {{Wikipedia:Complex sock puppets/PUPPETMASTER (2nd)}} or 3rd, etc. (Again, remember to replace PUPPETMASTER with the actual account name.)
7. If your evidence suggests a case of clear abuse, with no serious doubt, an administrator may take the initiative to block the affected account. In less severe cases, administrators may quietly monitor the account's activities.