Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/97.86.5.61/Archive

10 December 2013

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There is strong evidence (because of noticeable editing similarities) that this IP user is using different IP addresses to disruptively edit and to evade blocks. There's a persistent long-term pattern of disruptive edits over a sustained period of time. The same type of unhelpful and poorly sourced content about Alvin and the Chipmunks is put into numerous different articles about songs. (Sometimes well-known songs which are not specifically related to Alvin and the Chipmunks and there is no relevance for such information to be included).

The IP users also show other clear similarities. Similar type of content is put in about songs, either unsourced or with the same poor sources, also sometimes putting in content relating to the American TV series "Glee". The IP user 97.86.5.61 was earlier this year given a 3 month block for long-term disruption, having had numerous previous warnings about not putting in such poorly sourced content about songs. All of the many warnings were ignored by the IP before the block. I strongly suspect there was a sock to evade that 3 month block as 198.246.7.69, which edited during the period of the block. The IP user 68.186.161.55 also shows striking editing similarities as well, with similar types of song content edited.

Please note that because of the concern I have over this long-term disruption, I recently reported this to Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents. I said on the noticeboard that I was concerned the IP's were connected. I was informed by admin that the IP's were all from the general St. Louis area of Missouri, but was told that AN/I was not the best place for this investigation and I was requested to file this at WP:SPI. The most recent IP user 68.186.161.55 has also been requested on their talk page not to put in information about songs without a reliable source, but has ignored that request and has continued to put in similar content about songs without reliable sources. When the poorly sourced content about Karma Chameleon was removed, the IP user 68.186.161.55 put it back again. A detailed look at all of the contributions from the three IP's from the St. Louis area shows strong evidence of socks and strong evidence of a deliberate evasion of the 3 month block earlier this year. Kind Tennis Fan (talk) 11:28, 10 December 2013 (UTC)

As mentioned, I believe he or she deliberately evaded a previous 3 month block with a different IP address. There is strong evidence for that. Concerns about socks have been raised before about this user. I believe the user is "IP hopping" to avoid further action being taken and further blocks. Previous warnings and a block have regrettably not worked.

The user does not respond to warnings and simply ignores them. I could issue more warnings on the talk pages, but the warnings up to now and a previous block have simply not stopped the disruptive edits. The IPs, which are all from the same St Louis area, engage in the same type of disruptive edits relating to numerous different songs. If action is not taken, I believe the cycle of disruptive edits and the insertion of the same poorly sourced and irrelevant content will continue indefinitely under different IPs to evade blocks.

If the current IP address gets further warnings and a block, and then appears again under a different IP address, how many different IP socks do there need to be before the situation becomes intolerable? Ultimately, there has to come a time when admin agree that 'Enough is Enough'. There has to be a limit to the disruption that this user creates.

Otherwise, the situation will go round in circles. The IP will get further warnings which will be ignored, will then be reported to WP:AIV, will get a block, which will be ignored with another sock from the same St Louis area putting in the same type of disruptive edits. That new IP address will get warnings, which will be ignored, will then be reported to WP:AIV and will get a block. A new IP sock will appear. And so it will carry on indefinitely under different IPs from St Louis. My own view, is that the time has now come for admin to accept that this user has been extremely disruptive to Wikipedia and the situation can't continue indefinitely. Kind Tennis Fan (talk) 01:31, 11 December 2013 (UTC)

Comments by other users
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Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * Do you know if these IPs are being used to evade any current blocks or evade scrutiny from a registered account? If not, I think the best plan would be to issue warnings on the IPs' talk pages and report the IPs to WP:AIV if he continues. Mark Arsten (talk) 21:26, 10 December 2013 (UTC)
 * One IP hasn't editing in several months, and the other two haven't edited in the past couple days. I don't see any warnings from the past two months. The only good option I see here warn them and report them to AIV if they engage in vandalism again. There's a good chance they'll return with other IPs, but there's really nothing we can do about that. A rangeblock could work, but we'd need to see them editing from different IPs in the same range first. You could also request pages they target be protected via RFPP if they hit the same ones over and over again. 02:19, 11 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Is there something else specifically that you'd like us to do? Mark Arsten (talk) 02:21, 11 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Marking as closed. Mark Arsten (talk) 21:53, 11 December 2013 (UTC)