Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Lunarbot/Archive

18 September 2011

 * Suspected sockpuppets


 * User compare report Auto-generated every hour.

As well as the usernames being similar, they have edited similar pages, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Articles_for_creation/Kaptein_Kaliber and http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Lunarbot/Kaptein_Kaliber&diff=next&oldid=449375387 are just two examples. User HJ Mitchell blocked Lunarbot because of the "bot" prefix in the name and I blocked Lunarbot99 for the same reason. If these two accounts are related I think it's more of a case of someone not understanding Wikipedia's rules rather than anything else. Can Checkuser please just confirm if these two accounts are related? 5 albert square (talk) 20:44, 18 September 2011 (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

 * - There aren't any other accounts with that prefix, but it can't hurt to see if they're the same, and if there are sleepers. —  Hello Annyong  (say whaaat?!) 21:16, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
 * , trivial. AGK  [&bull; ] 22:12, 18 September 2011 (UTC)


 * Without CU, there isn't anything else to be done with this case. Looks to simply be a confused user. NativeForeigner Talk/Contribs 22:19, 18 September 2011 (UTC)

It's worse than that... this newbie may have been done a great deal of injustice IMO. Here is a possible scenario, and it's scary. 1. This user created an account, as recommended, and innocently chose a name ending in bot. The restriction on this name is IMO unclear and obscure, and it is unreasonable to expect a newbie to know it. (Perhaps we need to tidy up the documentation.)

2. They were then blocked indefinitely, for no reason other than this name contains the suffix "-bot", which is generally reserved for authorized bot accounts. The message also reads ''You are encouraged to choose a new account name that meets our policy guidelines. Alternatively, if you have already made edits and you wish to keep your existing contributions under a new name, then you may request a change in username...... In other words, create a new account that doesn't end in bot''.

3. They did exactly as requested. (Some may think that Lunarbot99 meets the criterion contains the suffix "-bot", but I don't think that's clear at all. Linguists would be familiar with the concept of multiple suffixes but for the layman, many would think that it just means ends in "bot", and with some justification. Perhaps we need to tidy up this restriction as well, does it apply to User:Tim Abbot for example?)

4. They were then, purely on the basis of having done as requested, accused of sockpuppetry.

Interested in any evidence that this scenario isn't exactly what happened. I can't prove it was, but I find the fact that I can't prove it wasn't scary enough.

I think they may well deserve an apology. Possibly even several apologies. Andrewa (talk) 00:29, 23 September 2011 (UTC)