Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Armando AZ/Archive

Suspected sockpuppets
Following the 2022 Peruvian political crisis, edits on Peruvian topics have become contentious. Recent edits on these topics have raised concerns of sock puppetry. On the article Centralismo (Peru), I reverted obvious edits of WP:OR and WP:SYNTH; Armando AZ was attempting to use written unrelated sources placed into the Government of the Inca Empire article 10 years ago to synthesize an original argument. Armando AZ responded with more WP:SYNTH using more unrelated sources, which I removed. Upon looking at each individual source, I removed each of them while providing a rationale.[1 ][2 ][3 ][4 ][5 ]

From nowhere, User:Alfredo18elguapo reverted my edits without providing rationale and opened up a one-sided talk page section targeting my edits and saying that "most users agree with" Armando AZ, though no other users were involved in the article, making this curious to me. Reviewing past edits to see if there were other users supporting Armando AZ, I found the IP user 186.32.48.176, who has similar edits with both Armando AZ and Alfredo18elguapo; all have the common edits with Centralismo (Peru) (Armando, Alfredo, 186) and more curiously on the articles state atheism (Armando, Alfredo, 186) and the Eurasia Party (186 while Alfredo and Armando editing at the same time). This would stop here, but then I saw a new user editing on Peruvian topics and notice this exchange of Pessi69 accusing someone of being a "sockpuppet" and then being described as a "very likely" sock themself by an established user. Overall, this activity warrants a look, especially after looking at it through the "Editor interaction utility". WMrapids (talk) 20:13, 24 April 2023 (UTC)


 * It was my mistake to have interfered. In my defense I will say that I am a regular user of Wikipedia in Spanish, I have not gotten into any trouble there. I usually edit articles referring to political or social issues, so it's obvious that I'm going to come across several times with users who do the same (like you in this case). The editions in state atheism are one from March 2021 and another from 2023 and they have nothing to do with each other; a case of cherry picking. Finally, he clarifies that my IP is indeed the one of [], that is why we not only appear editing together on this page but also in Spanish. For example: https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Especial:History/Fosa_com%C3%BAn or https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Especial:History/Partido_de_la_Reconstrucci%C3%B3n_del_Orden_Nacional . Regarding the last case, say that it is likely that it is a puppet or multi-account, since in fact he has an account in Spanish created on the same day, in which he has not yet edited anything. But the fact is that it is not mine Alfredo18elguapo (talk) 22:02, 24 April 2023 (UTC)

It appears that Armando AZ has been indefinitely banned from Spanish Wikipedia for pushing narratives.-WMrapids (talk) 21:31, 24 April 2023 (UTC)


 * @WMrapids Alfredo18elguapo has already been CU confirmed as a sock of Armando AZ on the Portuguese wikipedia, along with . See pt:Wikipédia:Pedidos a verificadores/Caso/Armando AZ. 192.76.8.70 (talk) 08:18, 27 April 2023 (UTC)

Alfredo18elguapo also suggests that they are in contact with Armando AZ, raising concerns of Meatpuppet.--WMrapids (talk) 22:22, 24 April 2023 (UTC)


 * look at the time Alfredo18elguapo (talk) 22:25, 24 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Here they are Alfredo18elguapo (talk) 22:39, 24 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I think I misspelled it, I was referring to myself as user, not him. I do not maintain any contact with users outside of the Wikipedia pages. Alfredo18elguapo (talk) 18:53, 27 April 2023 (UTC)

Placed due to similar editing style of WP:BATTLE, similar username and due to (now confirmed sockmaster?) linking to an article they had similar conflicts with. Again, just trying to be safe here.--WMrapids (talk) 10:23, 27 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Dude I work for myself. I have nothing to do with him. My username is just my real name. Alejandro Basombrio (talk) 17:20, 27 April 2023 (UTC)

Comments by other users

 * Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.

Reply: Nice try, but the accusation doesn't hold up. Other users have made edits with me, for example here with the user Alejandro Basombrio, who is older than me. And just like me, he has been peppered with the whole issue of controversial WMrapids editions and articles, such as this and this; even despite receiving warnings for their biases in said editions (here and here). On the other hand, having to cite a two-year-old edit as proof that "you edit articles similar to a other user" is just ridiculous. Finally, say that my blocking was due to the unfair treatment of a user on the Spanish Wikipedia, who did not stop blocking me despite my attempts to dialogue with him. I made a claim a few weeks ago explaining this and it has been pending review ever since. I clarify that I am not taking this in any way personally, I have gone through processes like this before and now I know how to respond appropriately, so I hope my answer is not misinterpreted and I apologize in advance if anyone feels offended by this.Armando AZ (talk) 00:25, 25 April 2023 (UTC)


 * How do you know Alejandro Basombrio is older than you? I can't seem to find any information regarding to that. SeanTVT (talk) 13:56, 27 April 2023 (UTC)
 * @SeanTVT Look at the "registered" field on central auth: . For future reference you would be better asking questions like "how do you tell how old an account is" at either the WP:Teahouse or the WP:Help Desk, rather than asking an accusatory question in an SPI. 163.1.15.238 (talk) 14:16, 27 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I thought that the age he meant here was in real life, not the time that they registered. Sorry if you misunderstood me. SeanTVT (talk) 12:38, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I mean the time they have his account. That can be read on the main page, at least via mobile or cell phone. Armando AZ (talk) 14:41, 27 April 2023 (UTC)
 * AB's first edit was 17:49, 7 September 2021 (UTC). Yours (AAZ) was 23:51, 16 April 2021 (UTC). Ignoring account creation and other wikipedias, you actually contributed to the English Wikipedia first. — Shibboleth ink  (♔ ♕) 19:28, 27 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I think it's an interesting coincidence that both accounts (Armando AZ and Alfredo18elguapo) call edits "editions". Wouldn't mean much on its own, but it's another similarity. –Vipz (talk) 22:55, 27 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I would bet good money it's based on the word in Spanish that is then fed into Google Translate. — Shibboleth ink  (♔ ♕) 02:33, 28 April 2023 (UTC)


 * I would also bring up . They started commenting on Talk:COVID-19 lab leak theory in the same discussions, have almost identical editing patterns:  and comment in a suspicious pattern: . Although with one edit being 32 seconds after the other, the sockmaster would either have to be operating on mobile web and app-based wikipedia, or using mobile-and-desktop. It has certainly been done before. —  Shibboleth ink  (♔ ♕) 13:29, 27 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I think PieLover's English is too good for them to be a sock, at least of the user under investigation here. Could be MEAT tho'but. Bon courage (talk) 14:03, 27 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Yeah, that is a good point, they have much better english than google translate typically provides. I'm not convinced from their editing patterns that they aren't an SP of a different sockmaster, though. Perhaps one that was TBAN'd around the time they started editing? Will have to look into it — Shibboleth ink  (♔ ♕) 14:19, 27 April 2023 (UTC)
 * What about me? I'm being accused of being a "sock" yet my account is far older than the guy accused. Alejandro Basombrio (talk) 02:21, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you. Yes, to confirm, I am not a sock puppet or a meat puppet of anyone. I am a bit confused why I'm being mentioned here. The only rationale I can think of is that I have disagreed with @Bon courage and @Shibbolethink on the COVID lab leak theory talk page, but I don't believe anyone has ever accused me of doing so in an uncivil or disruptive way. PieLover3141592654 (talk) 07:26, 28 April 2023 (UTC)

The Portuguese wikipedia admins confirmed your account on that site as a sockpuppet of Armando AZ by CheckUser. Meaning the IP addresses were identical (or extremely close) during your logged-in sessions from these accounts. If you are not connected in the real world in some way, why would they have found that to be true? — Shibboleth ink  (♔ ♕) 19:19, 27 April 2023 (UTC)


 * Maybe it could be because we both live in the same country? Costa Rica is a very small place, with only 5 million inhabitants. In the capital, San José, we only live between half a million to 3 million inhabitants (metropolitan area), with about 44.62 km²; in addition to living there all non-Nicaraguan immigrants. Thinking back I used to do a lot of editing since college using my own Wiki account, I felt that by editing articles in other languages I was somehow "protected" against any dangerous people out there; I did it when in English or Italian too. Now, I understand that it could be a mistake... Even so, it is still absurd to consider that someone is the same person just because they have edited similar articles or because they log in from the same sites. Here on the list several users have entered who surely have nothing to do with it and the only ones who are confirmed as the same people are me and my IP. Alfredo18elguapo (talk) 04:08, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
 * @Shibbolethink Also, something that I noticed now is that at the international level we have not edited in the same languages: he has edited more in Russian and French while I have edited more in Italian; besides that he is still very active on the Portuguese Wikipedia. You can review it yourselves. Alfredo18elguapo (talk) 04:14, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Looking closely at Armando AZ's activity (for example in Russian and Polish), it seems that he is mainly dedicated to translating articles from other languages. Alfredo18elguapo (talk) 04:20, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
 * As for me, I usually dedicate myself to translating or transfer parts of articles into other languages, including references, mainly from Spanish or English. I never did a complete article Alfredo18elguapo (talk) 04:38, 28 April 2023 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * Pretty clearly ✅ to each other:

is indeed a sock, but unrelated to these ones, see Sockpuppet investigations/Mausebru. is, they seem unlikely to be related to the farm here. I don't see a clear rationale right now for checking User:Alejandro Basombrio, I think this is a case of people holding similar POVs. . Moneytrees🏝️(Talk) 06:05, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I don't see anything more to do here. Closing. Thanks, Spicy (talk) 22:23, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets
Peru-related articles have been very controversial as of late, with multiple abusive accounts appearing and using socks. is clearly a WP:SPA engaged in WP:BATTLE behavior, so they are WP:NOTHERE. The first possible sock-master was blocked in late-April for using multiple socks and would make their first edits weeks later. (ugh please please don't CU me by accident, they changed their username out of spite) was indefinitely blocked on 18 May 2023, the same day that made their first edit, so also a strong possibility. Finally, has had a history of using WP:LOUTSOCK and was warned about the behavior in the past, with Elelch editing with WP:BATTLE behavior on the same article as. I don't like doing blanket sock accusations like this, but hopefully you can see that socks and toxicity in general have been a tremendous issue on Peruvian articles. Thank you. WMrapids (talk) 07:54, 6 June 2023 (UTC)

Comments by other users

 * Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.


 * Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, I would like to request rename to its previous name for violating the username policy, as it has been done previously in related discussions, specifically for being deceptive and with the aim of impersonating. --NoonIcarus (talk) 10:29, 6 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Once they are proven to be socks of Armando AZ, PLEASE request global locks for them in SRG. They also active in es.wiki and pt.wiki MarioJump83 (talk) 13:22, 7 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Hi @MarioJump83,
 * Seeing that you clearly infringe WP:GF, I don't want you to ever comment on me again.
 * Sincerely,
 * UsuarioDeLaWikiW (talk) 00:12, 10 June 2023 (UTC)
 * LOL. MarioJump83 (talk) 09:57, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
 * LOL. MarioJump83 (talk) 09:57, 15 June 2023 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * UsuarioDeLaWikiW is ✅ to JasonA34, but appear ❌ to the sockmaster here and the other editors at this SPI., is there any further evidence that would connect Elelch or the other accounts here to each other? Other than sharing the same POV's, I'm not seeing one. Moneytrees🏝️(Talk) 01:34, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Nothing else, but you can see the coincidences, right? Anyways, thanks for your help!
 * WMrapids (talk) 02:13, 15 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm not seeing any further connection here-- closing. Moneytrees🏝️(Talk) 22:14, 18 June 2023 (UTC)