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SmashWiki:Sockpuppets: Difference between revisions
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* Evading edit-counting policies such as [[SW:1RV|Only revert once]] or [[SmashWiki:Probation|Probation]]. | * Evading edit-counting policies such as [[SW:1RV|Only revert once]] or [[SmashWiki:Probation|Probation]]. | ||
* Voting for something multiple times, such as a new policy proposal or a discussion about a piece of article content. This extends to discussions of any kind; whether one user has multiple accounts with the same opinion or with different opinions, it makes it harder to accurately judge community sentiment. | * Voting for something multiple times, such as a new policy proposal or a discussion about a piece of article content. This extends to discussions of any kind; whether one user has multiple accounts with the same opinion or with different opinions, it makes it harder to accurately judge community sentiment. | ||
* Acting as a "foil" with the intention of making the primary account look better. For example, a user creates a sock and vandalizes an article. Later, the same user's main account reverts it and supplies a talk page warning. Repeated multiple times, this can inflate the perception of the user's main account and act as artificial clout in [[SW:RFR|requests for rollback]] and the like | * Acting as a "foil" with the intention of making the primary account look better. For example, a user creates a sock and vandalizes an article. Later, the same user's main account reverts it and supplies a talk page warning. Repeated multiple times, this can inflate the perception of the user's main account and act as artificial clout in [[SW:RFR|requests for rollback]] and the like. | ||
==Legitimate uses of sockpuppets== | ==Legitimate uses of sockpuppets== | ||
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* Operating a [[SmashWiki:Bots|bot]]. Note that this is subject to its own rules. | * Operating a [[SmashWiki:Bots|bot]]. Note that this is subject to its own rules. | ||
* Forgotten password on original account. Generally, [[Special:PasswordReset]] is far more recommended, but if it is somehow not possible to have the new password emailed to you then this is a valid option. Note that this is a case where account merging | * Test accounts. Sometimes a user may need to see what something is like on an account with different [[Special:ListGroupRights|user rights]] (for example, to see if a [[SW:PROT|protection setting]] is working as intended), or may need a dummy account to test a wiki function on. Note that generally only administrators should be creating accounts for this purpose, if a normal user wants to test something that requires another account, they must get permission from an administrator first. These accounts should also not be used beyond their testing purposes, any attempt to operate them as a normal account will face repercussions like any typical sock usage would. | ||
* Forgotten password on the original account. Generally, [[Special:PasswordReset]] is far more recommended, but if it is somehow not possible to have the new password emailed to you then this is a valid option. If you do create a new account for this reason, you should notify an administrator immediately, so to avoid any possible problems when an administrator inevitably discovers that you have operated multiple accounts. Note that this is a case where account merging should be applied. | |||
It is not uncommon for a user to create a new account simply with the intention to change their username. This is a grey use case; users should change their username through the [[SW:RENAME|proper procedure]], but inexperienced users who aren't aware of that policy often create a new account instead. The administration will generally forgive this upon discovery if the user did not continue to operate the old account, and will proceed to merge the accounts together, as long as the new name is [[SW:NAME|acceptable]]. However, users who do this a second time after being informed of the proper procedure or should otherwise clearly know better will not get any leniency, as at best, it'll be interpreted as an attempt to intentionally bypass the renaming procedure. | |||
==Other notes== | ==Other notes== | ||
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==Detecting sockpuppets== | ==Detecting sockpuppets== | ||
In many cases, sockpuppets are not too difficult to spot. The main way to detect a sockpuppet is simply noticing that two users are suspiciously alike. Maybe their usernames follow the same pattern, | In many cases, sockpuppets are not too difficult to spot. The main way to detect a sockpuppet is simply noticing that two users are suspiciously alike. Maybe their usernames follow the same pattern, they always post one after the other agreeing with each other, they tend to edit the same articles with similarly-styled edits, or otherwise have the same mannerisms in their communication. Wikipedia refers to this as [[wikipedia:WP:DUCK|duck testing]]. | ||
Once a suspicion has been formed, users should report the possible sockpuppet and master to the [[SW:ADMIN|administrators]] on [[SW:DISC|Discord]] and on the [[SW:AN|administrators' noticeboard]]. An admin can then use the Check User function to investigate the accounts' IP addresses, which is generally taken as the final word of whether the accounts are related. An exact IP match between two accounts is always a smoking gun confirmation of a sockpuppet, but admins do not require exact IP matches to take action; two accounts with different IPs from the same IP range, or have IPs that trace back to the same or very close geographic location, will also typically be considered confirmation of a user being behind a sock. In the case that a user uses proxies or a VPN to hide behind completely different IPs, it can muddle determining if two accounts are related, however admins can still act against them without IP evidence if other evidence is strong enough to ascertain the accounts are related beyond a reasonable doubt. | Once a suspicion has been formed, users should report the possible sockpuppet and master to the [[SW:ADMIN|administrators]] on [[SW:DISC|Discord]] and on the [[SW:AN|administrators' noticeboard]]. An admin can then use the Check User function to investigate the accounts' IP addresses, which is generally taken as the final word of whether the accounts are related. An exact IP match between two accounts is almost always a smoking gun confirmation of a sockpuppet, but admins do not require exact IP matches to take action; two accounts with different IPs from the same IP range, or have IPs that trace back to the same or very close geographic location, will also typically be considered confirmation of a user being behind a sock. In the case that a user uses proxies or a VPN to hide behind completely different IPs, it can muddle determining if two accounts are related, however admins can still act against them without IP evidence if other evidence is strong enough to ascertain the accounts are related beyond a reasonable doubt. | ||
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