Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Venuanki/Archive

Suspected sockpuppets



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Master starts the article and the next one defends the article and messages at the talk page. SwisterTwister  talk  05:47, 8 September 2017 (UTC)

Comments by other users
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Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments
— Berean Hunter   (talk)  15:27, 9 September 2017 (UTC)
 * - Please compare these accounts. Thanks, GABgab 18:36, 8 September 2017 (UTC)
 * - Katietalk 23:01, 8 September 2017 (UTC)
 * ✅ from each other and (oh, joy) from . Does this behavior look like that group to you? I'm on the fence. Katietalk 23:12, 8 September 2017 (UTC)
 * is in with this group either as a meat or a sock as the account is from 2011 (oldest) and working together can be see in this deleted article history and his deleted contribs makes it clear. Katie, is he confirmed to the others here or a meat? Given the ages of the accounts and that this article subject has been on their radar for a few years, I'm inclined to think that it isn't Seth.
 * Ravikrishnam is ✅ to . It's they're related to this group based on geolocation. There's a technical difference I'm not quite comfortable with but there are a lot of devices being used here.  Would you take a look when you get a second?  Katietalk 22:36, 9 September 2017 (UTC)


 * , do you want me to look at the possible connection between the Venuanki/Jsncol/SethMacfarlaneGypsy group and Ravikrishnam/Lakshmipk1? I don't want to recheck a bunch of accounts if that's not what you're looking for. -- Jezebel's Ponyo bons mots 20:42, 11 September 2017 (UTC)
 * I need a set of fresh eyes about the possible connection between Venuanki et.al and SMG, and the possible connection between Venuanki and Ravikrishnam/Lakshmipk1. I'm leaning unlikely about the SMG connection based on Berean Hunter's comment but I don't believe in coincidences much anymore. Katietalk 20:53, 11 September 2017 (UTC)


 * My interpretation of the data pretty much matches Katie's:
 * and are absolutely ✅ to each other.
 * and are ✅ to each other and, based solely on geolocation, are  to Venuanki/Jsncol. If the behaviour doesn't exactly align but there is article(s) overlap it would more likely be WP:MEAT (e.g. a localized paid editing ring).
 * Unless there is a strong behavioural link between Venuanki/Jsncol and SMG, I also think it's they are part of the same group. The ranges where they overlap are so dynamic, and there is a long break between the two sock groups using the ranges. Plus the UAs are as common as mud, so that' not much help.

— Berean Hunter   (talk)  22:46, 13 September 2017 (UTC) — Berean Hunter   (talk)  23:22, 13 September 2017 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure if this makes anything clearer for you .-- Jezebel's Ponyo bons mots 22:05, 11 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Blocking Venuanki for 72 hours and indeffing Jsncol with tag. I began to list Ravikrishnam as a new sockmaster in a different report, but I believe this is going to be Padmalakshmisx. In this history, there are many socks but they are almost exclusively him (confirmed socks). Ravi places an image and ten minutes later, a confirmed sock drops in a ref. In fact, Ravi's contribs since June center on two articles that are longtime magnets for Padmalakshmisx as can be seen in the Manchu Vishnu article history and the Mohan_Babu article history. Compare to this. Can you confirm to that master or should I go ahead with the new report?
 * While the geolocation matches some of the technical data from the Padma sockfarm, based on behaviour I think it's more likely that this is an editor who has joined in on a geographically related paid editing sockfarm (more MEAT than SOCK). With the myriad IPs and ranges available to them, Padma socks usually fire up new accounts after each SPI and then edit with them mercilessly until blocked. The reviving of the Ravikrishnam account and editing behaviour shows more restraint than I've seen with Padma. -- Jezebel's Ponyo bons mots 22:59, 13 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Hehe, I'll also note the additional extremely strong coincidence that Ravi's confirmed sock above is precisely the name of Padma. Lakshmipk1 ==> Lakshmi, P whereas Padmalakshmisx ==> Padma Lakshmi.
 * With this particular set of paid editing groups I imagine warehouses of computer banks and boxes of burner cells with hundreds of individuals furiously creating and adding promotional content to articles on their clients' non-notable "up and comers" and projects. It's like trying to find 100 similar needles distributed haphazardly amongst 1,000 haystacks on 10 different farms. If you can tie something together via behaviour that CU can't decipher through reams of IP and UA results, please do. The real Padma Lakshmi is fantastic. This group...not so much.-- Jezebel's Ponyo bons mots 23:36, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

— Berean Hunter   (talk)  13:16, 15 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Other accounts moved to their own case and closing this one since it looks like we are done for now.