Wikipedia:Suspected sock puppets/Ahering@cogeco.ca

User:Ahering@cogeco.ca

 * Suspected sockpuppeteer


 * Suspected sockpuppets

Cheeser1 (talk) 09:19, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Report submission by


 * Evidence

After engaging in tendentious editing with User:Fireproeng on Fire protection and Talk:Fire protection, Ahering made alot of claims based on personal expertise, and in doing so, questioned that of Fireproeng. After the dispute turned to incivility, an IP just happened to vandalize Fireproeng's userpage by questioning his credentials. When asked not to vandalize Fireproeng's userpage, Ahering defended himself by (among other things) asserting that Fireproeng should reveal his identity and back up the information on his userpage (as the vandal IP also suggested).

Ahering is clearly from Canada, and the IP traces to Canada, although he asserts that the IP is "not in [his] town." This doesn't seem to be something he could determine, and does actually seem likely, since the traceroute goes back to Ontario, specifically personainternet.com, an Ontario ISP. Ahering's username indicates that he is (or was) subscribed to Cogeco internet service, which is a part of Persona Inc. (in fact, it is the part of Persona that provides service to the Ontario/Quebec region, where the user claims to be from). Note that I'm filing this report in response to a complaint at the WQA. --Cheeser1 (talk) 09:19, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

Furthermore, if we look outside the incident at hand, the IP's contributions are all edits that uniquely fit Ahering's editing pattern, and are substantially related to Ahering's contributions-proper:
 * Adds an external link, one that just happens to be about fire protection, to Gerald W. Brown, which Ahering has also edited regarding fire-safety issues.
 * Links to Commons pages regarding fireproofing at Cambrian College. And adding commons links (esp. those relating to fireproofing) is something Ahering does frequently.
 * Rants about anonymity, something Ahering has frequently done (as evidenced even by his conduct in this matter and related dispute resolution procedures). What he says is very similar to the things Ahering has been saying (in tone, style, and content).

Addendum: In response to my good-faith mix-up (struck, above), Cogeco and Persona are not the same company, however they do provide service to the same region as the one in which Ahering lives. Furthermore, he noted in an unrelated comment that his username is from "long ago" (changing providers is conceivable, and perhaps he's using a computer at somewhere other than his home). The geographic/IP information is only given to refute his assertion that the IP resolves to a different location than his. It does not - it resolves to Ontario, which is where he lives. It (still) supports the evidence that already makes it evident - based on the behavior of the IP editor - that this is sockpuppetry. --Cheeser1 (talk) 21:56, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

Response to Ahering's demands: I will not reveal my identity, and he has made a very strange habit of demanding that those who disagree with him reveal their identity and even confront him in person. I will, however, explain my motivation for posting this complaint. A user who has been participating in good faith in the dispute resolution process has found it difficult, due to Ahering's hostile rejection of any dispute resolution that doesn't agree with him. This user posted an alert on the WQA about Ahering's incivility, which includes these incidents that appear to be pretty blatant sockpuppetry. I filed this case on the basis that it is clear, and Ahering's only (relevant) response has been that he is from Ontario and the traceroute doesn't go to Ontario (this is false, it does go to Ontario). I had recommended that the complaining user at the WQA file this report, but it seemed as though he is unfamiliar with such procedures, and I thought I'd lend a hand. --Cheeser1 (talk) 21:01, 7 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Response

Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persona_Inc. This page states The company is the fifth largest cable television provider in Canada, following Rogers, Shaw, Vidéotron and Cogeco. Cogeco and Persona are separate firms. The page goes on to state: '''Persona is owned by Bragg Communications, owners of EastLink and Amtelecom. Persona's head office is located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. The company also has divisional offices in Greater Sudbury (for Ontario and Quebec) and Edmonton (for Western Canada).''' Also look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogeco. There is no mention of fiduciary ties between Cogeco and Persona. They operate in different areas.

Canada is different from Luxembourg. Please take a look at the area for the country. Even the Province of Ontario has 1,076,395 km². Being from Canada or Ontario or any other Province does not mean that one is the same person as another.

Cheeser1 is clearly wrong on the geography as well as the corporate angle. --Achim (talk) 21:11, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

Comment on Cheeser's Addendum He wrote:however they do provide service to the same region as the one in which Ahering lives.. That is false. Cogeco and Persona don't overlap anywhere that I am aware of. You don't normally have a choice of two cable companies. Cheeser does not have my address. He has no idea where I live but he makes statements about that my hometown is serviced by Persona, which is wrong. I am several hours by car away from any area serviced by Persona and have no reason to travel there. Wikipedia outlines where Persona does business. I live nowhere near that area and have not been there in some time. I note that he makes these statements as if they were fact and when proven wrong, calls it good faith. For the most part, I really don't get why he's trying to pick a fight with me and leaving infantile messages on my talk page, whilst refusing to answer straight questions. Say it to my face tough guy. You're pretending to know where I am, so come by and tell me. I'll even have some coffee for you. --Achim (talk) 19:21, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

This case seems stale. The edit in question happened in October and the IP has made no further edits. Darkspots (talk) 12:59, 16 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Comments


 * Conclusion
 * The IP has very few edits, all of which are from October 2007. I don't see a current issue here. --Akhilleus (talk) 18:47, 16 January 2008 (UTC)