Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Marokwitz/Archive

Suspected sockpuppets
Investigation triggered by what could possibly be vote-stacking at an RFC. The two users in question posted two comments in opposition, that looked suspiciously and remarkably similar in formatting and content and.

Several more instances of what could possibly be vote-stacking (always 1-5 hours apart/but also a few minutes apart in replies) at recent discussions relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at Articles for deletion/Genocide against Palestinians ( and ), Neutral point of view/Noticeboard ( and ), Reliable sources/Noticeboard ( and ), Articles for deletion/Nakba denial ( and ); the positions overwhelmingly overlap.

More similarities: both usernames were created in 2006 and 2008; both identifying as being operated by an Israeli individual; both have created Russian, French and Hebrew Wikipedia accounts. The second account is only used occasionally. A quick look at their contributions reveals a great overlap in articles edited. Makeandtoss (talk) 17:45, 26 October 2023 (UTC)

Adding third suspected user: Third user was welcomed by first user on his talk page, and then suddenly started to edit articles related to Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and in the very same discussions with similar positions including Genocide against Palestinians, Nakba denial. Makeandtoss (talk) 21:50, 26 October 2023 (UTC)

Adding fourth suspected user: Similar editing patterns on the very same discussions RS Noticeboard, Nakba denial, Nakba denial NPOV, Genocide against Palestinians AfD. Makeandtoss (talk) 21:50, 26 October 2023 (UTC)


 * Aside from the cross-wiki contributions, there are several signs that the accounts (the first two at least) are sockpuppets: WP:OFFWIK, WP:OCUSE WP:IDENTICAL, WP:XS, WP:SID, WP:ALWAYS, WP:CHRONOSOCK, WP:GEOSOCK. I personally find the signs for the first two usernames to be quite overwhelming. And most importantly, it is evident in the editor interaction analysis. Makeandtoss (talk) 09:02, 28 October 2023 (UTC)
 * I provided evidence of 8 signs (out of almost 20 listed signs), multiple for each, which is quite overwhelming in my opinion. They are participating in the same specific deletion discussions, and not in the same articles. They are even active on the same language Wikipedia sites, chances of being on Hebrew, French and Russian WP at the same time a coincidence, in addition to everything argued above, is extremely extremely low. These aren't highly active users, so the suspicion is even higher. I would please request you to wait for a second opinion, as you have originally proposed. Thank you. Makeandtoss (talk) 09:19, 29 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Also a check user wouldn't hurt. Makeandtoss (talk) 09:22, 29 October 2023 (UTC)
 * I tried to explain that. We do not evaluate evidence by ticking checkboxes. In fact, the links you provided often explain the nuances of each of these aspects. Checkuser is regulated by fairly strict guidelines to protect every user against unwarranted invasions of their privacy. As a clerk, part of my role is not making checkuser recommendations when I have doubts about their justification. That doesn't preclude any checkuser making a check (whether there's an open case or not) if they find enough justification on their own. MarioGom (talk) 09:25, 29 October 2023 (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

 * Based on a some characteristics of cross-wiki contributions, I'm quite sure Marokwitz, טבעת-זרם, are Homerethegreat are different editors. I'm not declining the check (yet), since I'm now looking at it from the WP:MEAT or account sharing angle, and I would like to hear a second opinion. MarioGom (talk) 07:26, 28 October 2023 (UTC)
 * @MarioGom, just a quick note -- I think you meant to say "Marokwitz, טבעת-זרם, and Homerethegreat"? Didn't want to fix what seems to be a typo in your post, but this one initially reads as what I assume is the opposite of what you meant. Valereee (talk) 12:24, 6 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Ooops! Indeed. I meant I think the 3 of them are different editors. MarioGom (talk) 20:36, 6 November 2023 (UTC)
 * I would not call evidence overwhelming at all. Evidence suggesting socking always needs to be pondered with the probability of the same behavior matching in two unrelated accounts. For example, editor interaction analysis is often misleading if not interpreted carefully (take any two active clerks with high edit counts, and you will find an impressive amount of overlap). Overlapping geography has low value on its own, especially when it comes to topics related to that geographic region. Shared interest in editing the same area at the same time can often be triggered by current events, especially those with extensive and ongoing news coverage. Overlap at AfD is also unremarkable when it comes to highly controversial discussions. Similar formatting often happens when multiple editors participate in the same discussion during the same time period, and they just copy-paste others or base their formatting in what they see before. So, in a case like this, we have to discount the "background noise" of the Israel-Palestine conflict, where a large number of unrelated editors are involved. I don't think current evidence raises above that background noise, so I'm . MarioGom (talk) 09:09, 29 October 2023 (UTC)