Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Johnnydowns/Archive

04 January 2015

 * Suspected sockpuppets




 * User compare report Auto-generated every hour.
 * Editor interaction utility

This weekend, I have been the subject of an attack by what seems to me to be one person using a variety of IP addresses and accounts. The account "Johnnydowns" was created in 2010, but made only five edits between 2010 and 2012. There were no more edits until January 2, 2015. The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant article is an article that I had created and which, prior to January 2, 2015, had never seen any other activity from other editors. Immediately after this edit was made from an IP address, the article received a flurry of activity for approximately eight hours, during which time the "Johnnydowns" account was used to extensively edit the article, mostly to remove content. Interspersed between these edits were a wide range of edits that clearly constituted vandalism through IP addresses. Despite the fact that all of this vandalism was going on in the article for the very same eight hours that the "Johnnydowns" account was removing content from the article, "Johnnydowns" left the vandalized content in tact (including such clearly inappropriate content as this image, which is a reference to another article I created). The fact that "Johnnydowns" was arguing that he was condensing the information to the most important points, all while leaving the constant vandalism in tact, and that all of this vandalism occurred during the exact same eight hours that he decided to go on his first editing flurry, makes it seem very likely that the person controlling the account "Johnnydowns" is behind the IP addresses and other account that was vandalizing the article. Furthermore, since that eight-hour period, the "Johnnydowns" account has been used solely to edit articles I have created (Lord Protect My Child and Sandals Church). It would seem that the person behind the "Johnnydowns" account has me as their sole interest on Wikipedia. This activity corresponds with the activity of the other accounts and IP addresses in solely having edits this weekend and solely editing articles that I have created. During the eight-hour period and subsequently, there have been many vandalizing edits to various articles that seem to have me and the articles I created in mind. For example, this edit to 2012 tour of She Has a Name (an article I got up to FA status) is vandalism that references Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant (an article that discusses popcorn bisque). I do not have a history of being the subject of personal attacks in this way, nor do the articles in question. I therefore suggest that the accounts responsible for this vandlism, which has all taken place in the past two days, has been the work of a single person, who is behind the account "Johnnydowns". Neelix (talk) 23:44, 4 January 2015 (UTC)

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

I don't have much to say here except what I mentioned on the article in question's talk page. For the past day I've been editing the Sci-Fi Dine-In page (and re-editing each time Neelix reverted my edits). I've only done it from this account, and all my edits have been efforts to improve the article. I was focused only on my own work during this time and when the vandalism was brought to my attention (by Neelix, reversing it along with all of my edits, which were legitimate and unrelated), it was already gone.

I posted on the article's talk page and Neelix's talk page asking him to explain why he was undoing my edits. He ignored the question on the article's talk page and deleted it on his own. He then restricted editing access to the article, first to autoconfirmed users, then to template editors, and finally to administrators. I thought that was beyond the pale and decided to make legitimate edits to other articles he had written as a protest. When the restrictions he had placed on the Sci-Fi Dine-In article were revoked, I returned to work on it.

John Bailey Owen (talk) 00:26, 5 January 2015 (UTC)

Something that probably should be noted here: Neelix, the user who initiated this investigation, has now resigned from Wikipedia after an incident in which he blocked a new user who was making good faith edits to a page on which Neelix was basically the only editor. He has a pattern of attacking those who make innocuous edits to pages that he seems to think he owns. Take a look at the warning from Carrite on his talk page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.252.189.2 (talk) 14:28, 7 January 2015 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments
Can you please provide comparison diffs between the named puppets and the master showing a connection? Thanks.--Bbb23 (talk) 02:16, 5 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Changing case status to hold while I decide what to do with this now that Neelix has retired. He obviously won't be responding to my query unless he changes his mind, which seems dubious, at least in the short term. Another clerk is welcome to do whatever they think is appropriate while I ponder.--Bbb23 (talk) 14:41, 7 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Closing with no action based on insufficient evidence by the filer as to the named accounts and the listed IPs are becoming stale.--Bbb23 (talk) 16:26, 10 January 2015 (UTC)

18 January 2015

 * Suspected sockpuppets




 * User compare report Auto-generated every hour.
 * Editor interaction utility


 * 1) did not edit Wikipedia for three (3) years DIFF DIFF
 * 2) Among first edits back in three (3) years is to create one-line-long-userpage DIFF.
 * 3) First edit back in three (3) years is about "vegetable lasagna" at article Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant DIFF.
 * 4) Compare that edit to blocked account Vegetablelasagna1.
 * 5) has also commented at two (2) AFDs related to  DIFF, DIFF.
 * 6) Please compare first edit in three (3) years by account Johnnydowns with username account choice by blocked account Vegetablelasagna1.
 * 7) Checkuser not requested as this is obvious per WP:DUCK. Blocks on the sockmaster account can now be carried out based on evidence, above. &mdash; Cirt (talk) 19:13, 18 January 2015 (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

 * Update: Admin blocked account  indef. &mdash; Cirt (talk) 19:33, 18 January 2015 (UTC)
 * The account was subsequently unblocked by, with comment: "To help keep the peace, please be kind to Neelix and avoid further editing disagreements with him until after you have a chance to exchange a few friendly words and smooth things over. There's nothing wrong with having a disagreement with another editor over article content, but it's a good idea to not have too many conflicts with the same editor in close proximity." &mdash; Cirt (talk) 16:05, 21 January 2015 (UTC)