Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Snowsnowbing/Archive

23 August 2012

 * Suspected sockpuppets




 * User compare report Auto-generated every hour.

This is a pretty clear of sockpuppetry. Look at this edit of Snowsnowbing and this edit of MrARJ76. Changing the order of the 1997- incorrectly in both cases may I add- and in identical fashion. Here is a score change done by Snowsnowbing that matches one done by MrARJ76 ...William 17:18, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Andy76 here made the exact same edit that Snowsnowbing made.

Comments by other users
''Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.''
 * There's a gap of a full year between Snowsnowbing's last edit, and MrAJR76's first edit. What exactly are you alleging here, and what are you asking for? Mogism (talk) 17:30, 23 August 2012 (UTC)


 * A year's difference in time doesn't mean anything. The edits are exactly alike and done by different accounts. Here's a sockpuppet investigation by a user with multiple accounts and widely spread out edits....William 17:35, 23 August 2012 (UTC)


 * It clearly is the same person in all three cases. Perhaps not vandalism in the usual form but it is a little irritating. The changes from 1 hole to 2 holes are perhaps because of a misunderstanding of the rules in these dormie circumstances (http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Decision-02/#2-3/2) which are, at times, counter-intuitive). Which is besides the point since we should be using the official results anyway unless there is a clear mistake. The changes to the order of play could be correct but no references are given and differ from the order given in official publications, so we need good evidence to make the change. Nigej 19:00, 23 August 2012 (UTC)
 * The edits he is doing are vandalism. The taking out of correct well referenced scores and replacing them with incorrect scores isn't a case of an editor with a different opinion. Snowsnowbing's Ryder Cup edits have been in every case I checked, incorrect.

We just had a editor blocked here who was using multiple accounts to make incorrect edits but he had a WP:COI too. Fastballjohnd wasn't engaging in edit wars or using accounts for AFDs but he did get blocked....William 17:48, 23 August 2012 (UTC)
 * It might be vandalism, but it isn't socking, and this is SPI not AIV. I didn't look at the content of the edits just the timing to show any possibility of overlap/abuse, which I didn't find since the accounts are way spaced out. I'm not familiar enough with the content at first glance, golf is not my forte. The case you are pointing to, I close the last one due to insufficient, so not a good example. To be "socking", you have to show how the multiple accounts are being used abusively, coordinated.  I have multiple accounts here but I'm not a sockpuppet, for example.  Dennis Brown -  2&cent;    &copy;   Join WER 20:56, 23 August 2012 (UTC)
 * I disagree. He clearly is changing his user name is some strange attempt to confuse us. The fact that they're well spaced out just reflects the fact that the user is barely active, just springing into action at irregular intervals. Nigej 21:36, 23 August 2012 (UTC)
 * What advantage does he have in confusing though? Again, if it was voting in an AFD or edit warring, then that would make sense, but I can't block someone if they get a new account for a few edits every 6 months, that isn't clearly within the scope of WP:SOCK as abuse.  I've left it open, if another clerk sees it differently, so be it.  Dennis Brown -  2&cent;    &copy;   Join WER 00:47, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

 * also had similar edits to some other edits of Snowsnowbing (and I see someone just added this one) but for it to be WP:SOCKpuppeting, there has to be abuse, some kind of overlap, like it being used for edit warring, for multiple votes in an AFD, etc. It could be that they ARE the same person, and they just keep forgetting their password with email not enabled.  Will leave open a day to see if you can gather more info, but I don't see abuse in the use of multiple accounts here. Dennis Brown -  2&cent;    &copy;   Join WER 17:37, 23 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Link is possible, evidence of abuse is lacking. Closing. Dennis Brown -  2&cent;    &copy;   Join WER 11:47, 1 September 2012 (UTC)