Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Jamesnumber2/Archive

Suspected sockpuppets



 * Tools: Editor interaction utility • Interaction Timeline • User compare report Auto-generated every hour.

This user was blocked for 31 hours for edit warring at New Caledonia. see Administrators' noticeboard.

The puppetmaster's wording included:
 * "The flag of FLNKS, an extreme left-wing party, is not the flag of New Caledonia: it is not official (no legal text mentions it)."
 * "It is not the flag of New Caledonia, but the flag of FLNKS, a far-left party."
 * "The flag of FLNKS, an extreme left-wing party, which is not the Kanak flag at all, is by no means the flag of New Caledonia : its raising is not provided for by any text with legal value. To present it in this way alongside the French flag is therefore a violation of the principle of neutrality. I therefore call for the removal of this flag, the only one that is official in New Caledonia being that of the Republic. It is not acceptable for the flag of party which has committed armed attacks to represent New Caledonia on Wikipedia."

The puppetmaster's behavior included a tendency to blank their own talk page when warned (or blocked).


 * removed warning
 * fully blanked talk page after warns
 * fully blanked talk page after being blocked
 * removed my reply to him at an article talk page

The similarities between the behavior of these two accounts during the block period are not subtle.

Petitwiktion's wording:
 * "FLNKS flag is not official, it is the flag of a far-left party, and not the New Caledonia or Kanak flag."
 * "This flag is not the flag of New Caledonia, nor is it the Kanak flag. It is that of an extreme left-wing party, the FLNKS, known for having carried out armed attacks. It is not official on the island, as it is not provided for in any legal text."

This was undone by User:Oshwah, who gave them a friendly notice on his talk page to let him know why it was undone.

They responded by blanking their talk page.

These three edits (two continuing his edit war, one purging his own talk page) are currently the only contributions made by this account.

I suspect that Petitwiktion is a sock of Géographe96 being used specifically to bypass a block (WP:BLOCKEVASION) and continue edit warring, which was the cause of his original block.

Update: as soon as their block expired, they reinstated the exact version of the suspected sockpuppet account, using the exact same wording as before. The interaction timeline shows that - within a matter of hours - these two accounts added the same edits. Where Petitwiktion stops editing is where Géographe96 starts editing, which just so happens to be when his block expired.

Update: I am adding Peterforest to the list of suspected socks per this edit at commons: 

Using literally the exact same wording, they vandalized the file "New Caledonia flags merged (2017).svg" This is the account's one and only contribution.

Brendon the Wizard ✉️ ✨ 18:52, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

Comments by other users
''Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.''

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * Behavioural evidence, including the username, strongly points to sock puppetry. Since the block to has expired, I don't think any immediate action is necessary. However, that user has been explicitly rewarned about 3RR, so any revert by this person, regardless of account used, would be grounds for an immediate block of the relevant account(s). —C.Fred (talk) 21:49, 7 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Peterforest is . The remaining accounts are ✅ plus:
 * . There is obvious cross-wiki abuse going on here, mainly at fr.wiki and Commons. Several of the accounts have already been indefinitely blocked at fr.wiki for sock puppetry. Please globally lock all the accounts.  Please move case to Jamesnumber2.--Bbb23 (talk) 02:57, 8 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Accounts locked (plus some from the Meta CU results). -- Ajraddatz (talk) 06:55, 8 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Is there a reason for the main account (ie: Géographe96) to not be globally locked ? Pleclown (talk) 11:11, 8 November 2018 (UTC)
 * - Pending response regarding global locks. Sir Sputnik (talk) 21:44, 9 November 2018 (UTC)
 * You seem to have missed a ping here. Could you please globally lock Géographe96? Sir Sputnik (talk) 20:06, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Ah sorry, must have forgot. I've locked the account now. -- Ajraddatz (talk) 20:11, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Closing. Sir Sputnik (talk) 20:28, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Is there a reason for the main account (ie: Géographe96) to not be globally locked ? Pleclown (talk) 11:11, 8 November 2018 (UTC)
 * - Pending response regarding global locks. Sir Sputnik (talk) 21:44, 9 November 2018 (UTC)
 * You seem to have missed a ping here. Could you please globally lock Géographe96? Sir Sputnik (talk) 20:06, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Ah sorry, must have forgot. I've locked the account now. -- Ajraddatz (talk) 20:11, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Closing. Sir Sputnik (talk) 20:28, 14 November 2018 (UTC)