Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Knyphausen56/Archive

Evidence submitted by Hans Adler
68.36.205.151 is a Comcast IP from Princeton that has been static since at least August 2008. Contrary to appearances, Knyphausen56 is probably not a real name account. Knyphausen is an extremely rare name. Wilhelm von Knyphausen won an important battle at Princeton. The interleaving edit history proves that the two accounts are connected. Here is a timeline:


 * IP adds info that Dignano is in Austro-Hungarian empire.
 * (May 2009: IP makes an edit related to Princeton.)
 * August 2009: IP updates info on person with title who died in Air France disaster.
 * September 2009: IP removes one son of an Archduke and changes birth year of the other
 * 25 October 2009: IP makes 3 edits concerning an Austro-Hungarian field marshal.
 * 27 October 2009: IP updates info on Gabriela von Habsburg.
 * 29 October 2009: IP repeats September edit, responds to a question concerning title styles on talk page.
 * 
 * 
 * 7 November 4:18-4:58: IP continues work on Archduke Christoph Franz of Austria-Este. Highlights: Removal of cleanup tag, addition of two more bogus sources, one child renamed and redlinked. Cleanup tag removed once more.  Cover-up message on talk page trying to explain why no ancestors on Wikipedia.
 * 7 November 11:28: IP gives Christoph Franz a redlinked elder brother.
 * 7 November 15:20-15:23: IP gives an archduke and an archduchess an additional son.
 * 7 November 15:27-15:28: IP adds 4 great-great grandparents for Christoph Franz' article. Removes information that both parents of Christoph Franz' fake great grandmother died unmarried (although with issue).
 * 7 November 15:41-15:44: IP creates another couple of great-great grandparents, this time choosing a couple without issue. Again the child is renamed first.
 * 7 November 15:53-15:58: IP renames a great grandmother and adds "parents" for her. Marries her "parents" with each other, having to discard the "mother"'s real husband.
 * IP standardises redlink for "father" at Archduke Christoph Franz of Austria-Este.
 * Knyphausen56 creates page for "father" under the new title.
 * 7 November 18:37-18:40: IP makes minor edits to "father" article.
 * 7 November 18:54-19:12: Knyphausen56 standardises redlink for "mother" article in "father" article and adjusts Christoph Franz article. Creates "mother" article.
 * 7 November 23:26-23:31: IP makes various edits to Christoph Franz and his "parents".
 * Knyphausen56 comments in AfD.
 * IP removes hoax tags from 3 articles.
 * Knyphausen56 adds various plausible sounding and hard to verify sources to the 3 articles.
 * 8 November 4:33: Knyphausen56 fixes a somewhat revealing copy-paste error.
 * Knyphausen56 adds various plausible sounding and hard to verify sources to the 3 articles.
 * 8 November 4:33: Knyphausen56 fixes a somewhat revealing copy-paste error.

Only some of the most representative/relevant diffs are included, since almost all of the 86 combined edits are relevant. The user has created an article on a 17-year-old "Archduke Christoph Franz of Austria-Este" and has provided him with fake royal ancestry up to and including all great-great-grandparents. In doing so, several hoax articles were created, and information in legitimate articles was manipulated by adding additional offspring, renaming relatives or spouses, or removing information that didn't fit. Initially added sources all failed verification. Later books were added without page number.

To fully understand the fake it is necessary to uncollapse the genealogy box at Archduke Christoph Franz of Austria-Este, in various stages of development.

This is an obvious case, but because of the criminal energy shown and the potential impact on the integrity of our information I think it is appropriate to check for additional sockpuppets. Hans Adler 20:33, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

PS: Case originally reported to ANI by User:Flowerpotman, see WP:ANI. I have now added a votestacking account, created 14 minutes after Knyphausen56's most recent edit. See also WP:Articles for deletion/Archduke Christoph Franz of Austria-Este. Hans Adler 21:02, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

PPS: I have now added 63.139.66.1, the IP address of Lawrenceville School near Princeton. At 9 November 17:00 this IP contributed to the AfD, supporting the article. Note that the other IP's second edit mentioned this school in May 2009. Hans Adler 22:19, 9 November 2009 (UTC)
 * I have added another IP, which is assigned to the Lawrenceville School. It would really be a pity if someone had to contact the school and g et this kid into trouble there because wikipedia admins don't take action.Bali ultimate (talk) 16:00, 10 November 2009 (UTC)

Update: (1) The votestacking at the AfD continues relentlessly, with 68.36.205.151, Knyphausen56 and Chrisco123 !voting keep within the five minutes from 11 November 2:08 to 2:13. 

(2) At the AfD, DoriSmith found suspicious edits by 74.95.177.244 that reach back to April 2007. Hans Adler 07:11, 11 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Just to be pedantic: User:74.95.177.244 made in September 2007, while User:63.139.66.1 made  in April 2007. Dori ❦ (Talk ❖ Contribs ❖ Review) ❦ 08:26, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

Comments by accused parties
See Defending yourself against claims.

The evidence you provide is interesting but not convincing because none of what you accuse me of can be deemed deceptive. I made the edits I did in good faith because I genuinely believed, and still do, that what I wrote is true based on my research of primary, secondary and tertiary sources, some of which I have mentioned in the articles. I am in no way affiliated with either Archduke Fulvio Marco or Princess Maria Louis or either of their two sons but am only trying to add historically significant information to this great encyclopedia.--Knyphausen56 (talk) 03:08, 10 November 2009 (UTC)

Comments by other users
Have just added another new user (first and only action to vote stack at the hoax AFD, which is still open, the hoaxes still on wikipedia, socks unblocked (including the confirmed named accouunt, etc...)Bali ultimate (talk) 12:56, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

CheckUser requests
Requested by Hans Adler 20:33, 9 November 2009 (UTC)
 * GrooveDog &bull; i'm groovy. 05:53, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

Clerk, patrolling admin and checkuser comments

 * ✅ as:
 * . Brandon (talk) 08:36, 11 November 2009 (UTC)

Conclusions
Blocked/tagged. Peter Symonds ( talk ) 15:50, 11 November 2009 (UTC)