Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Mmacvs/Archive

Suspected sockpuppets

 * Accounts below are stale
 * Accounts below are stale
 * Accounts below are stale
 * Accounts below are stale


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

The suspected master for this group,, is quite stale and predates the rest. He edited for a bit in 2017, content related to Elaine Chao. About a week after he stopped editing, many new accounts began appearing. What made me think these are sockpuppets (and indeed some have already been blocked as sockpuppets), is that they come in waves. Not only do new accounts appear during the waves, but old accounts reappear. These waves are plainly visible in the contributions for these accounts, as the full contributions list for each is quite brief - this came in November 29/30 2017, early December 2017, mid-May 2018, mid-August 2018, mid-September 2018, mid-October 2018, and right now. The content of the edits are very similar, basically a slow-moving edit war over how her nationality is described, how her father is described, and some policy initiatives, with the redlink mob consistently on one side.

I would also note that four banned or blocked users (three for socking, one by arbcom) appear to have also been editing that page in the same time periods, though I am not sure that any of them are related. For reference:

All four of those accounts are stale, as well as most of the suspected socks. The whole body of socks was listed there just to link evidence of behavioral patterns. For checkuser, only AndyBean89 and Megrei are ripe. Someguy1221 (talk) 04:21, 11 June 2019 (UTC) Someguy1221 (talk) 04:21, 11 June 2019 (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

 * . Someguy1221 (talk) 04:22, 11 June 2019 (UTC)
 * The five suspected sock accounts that have already been blocked were blocked by, but I do not know if there was checkuser involved. Someguy1221 (talk) 04:33, 11 June 2019 (UTC)
 * AndyBean89 and Megrei are .--Bbb23 (talk) 13:05, 11 June 2019 (UTC)
 * adding . Someguy1221 (talk) 01:46, 12 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Thank you, Bbb23. I believe the behavioral evidence is strong enough if the CU is inconclusive, so blocking, tagging, and closing the case. Someguy1221 (talk) 01:50, 12 June 2019 (UTC)

Suspected sockpuppets



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

These editors add the similar kind of content to the Chao page as the sockmaster and his sockpuppets: (i) puffery and (ii) mind-blowingly mundane trivia about any and all initiatives that somehow relate to Chao (often sourced to primary sources, such as press releases from her or her department). Wikipedianpolitico has edited other pages in the last week but only to add minor mundane content to those pages. The editor only made big edits to the Chao page (which suggests that the editor was trying to mask that he was editing on behalf of Chao). As soon as that editor was reverted, the editor Aintnopoblano emerged to add similar content to the Chao page. The editor's first edit summary called on others to use the talk page, which suggests an awareness of on-going content disputes. Tagging Neutrality and HaeB who also reverted these socks. Snooganssnoogans (talk) 13:33, 8 April 2020 (UTC)

Comments by other users
''Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.''
 * Saw this at COIN. I would tend to take user Wikipedianpolitico's declaration here that they are adding COVID-related info to multiple pages for gov't officals at face value. Their contribs seem to back it up, unless I missed something. Not sure about the other account.ThatMontrealIP (talk) 17:33, 8 April 2020 (UTC)
 * In isolation, I'd agree that it's not a big red flag, but on a page with such endemic COI and sockpuppet problems? The fact that the editor made small edits to several pages, but then substantially larger ones to the Chao page does raise red flags. Snooganssnoogans (talk) 17:38, 8 April 2020 (UTC)
 * I agree that the behavioral evidence is strong, and a check is justified. Neutralitytalk 19:44, 8 April 2020 (UTC)
 * OK, I could always be wrong! Also I need new glasses. ThatMontrealIP (talk) 23:32, 8 April 2020 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * - Could a CU please take a look at the connection between these two account, there may also be some data left in the log from Bbb23's checks in the archive. Thanks, Callanecc (talk • contribs • logs) 03:04, 13 April 2020 (UTC)
 * These two accounts are to each other and  to an account in the archive.  Callanecc (talk • contribs • logs) 11:36, 15 April 2020 (UTC)
 * I'm not convinced enough to block them for sock puppetry. That being said, spamming is still blockable even if they aren't socks, and other admins can evaluate that at appropriate venues. Closing. Reaper Eternal (talk) 18:46, 16 April 2020 (UTC)