Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Vpha/Archive

Vpha

Vpha (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)

30 April 2022

Suspected sockpuppets

• OutrageousAnger (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Changeanew (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Introductionneeded (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki) ( Clerk note: original case name)
• 2215rt (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Tools: Editor interaction utility · Interaction Timeline · SPI Tools

Formally opening the SPI for a persistent sockmaster with multiple confirmed socks and logged-out IPs. Previous CU confirmations were done by Drmies.

There are relevant discussions at User talk:Cullen328#Good block on Vpha and AN/IncidentArchive1094#Vietnamese nationalist. — MarkH₂₁^talk 00:24, 30 April 2022 (UTC)

Changeanew is the oldest account, so please move this SPI there (do the tags need to be updated too?). Apologies! — MarkH₂₁^talk 00:27, 30 April 2022 (UTC)

@Bbb23: Sorry for the mistakes here, I only checked for the oldest contribution rather than oldest account creation. Also sorry about the tagging issue – I thought that I could tag the socks as "confirmed" after Drmies said that they were CU-confirmed to each other (e.g. in the block logs and at User talk:Cullen328#Good block on Vpha). I'll just leave things to SPI. — MarkH₂₁^talk 18:52, 30 April 2022 (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

•  Clerk assistance requested: - This is a little messy. First, the oldest account is Vpha. Second, although apparently Drmies blocked the accounts, MarkH21 tagged them, which he should not have done. Nor am I sure that they should be tagged as "confirmed"; in any event, they will need retagging after the move. Bbb23 (talk) 17:57, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
  • I can confirm they were confirmed. Mark, I always (well, usually--unless it's an established case and I can just copy and paste) leave the tagging to the SPI folks, and that's probably proper, given the special status of "confirmed". But thank you for starting this and, Bbb, thank you for picking it up. Drmies (talk) 19:54, 30 April 2022 (UTC)
• Moved case, retagged socks. OutrageousAnger was blocked a while ago and it's not clear to me from [1] what the technical relationship to the master is, so leaving it as proven. Closing. Thanks, Spicy (talk) 16:28, 1 May 2022 (UTC)

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11 September 2022

Suspected sockpuppets

• Firsttimemakinganaccount (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• ThrowAwayAccount3 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Throwawayaccount4 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Tools: Editor interaction utility · Interaction Timeline · SPI Tools

The usual disruption in the usual articles, and the usual joking around with account names and massive amounts of logged-out editing. Pinging User:MarkH21 as well--thanks. Accounts are blocked, not tagged. Note: CU confirms logged-out editing, but does not directly link accounts to each other. However, the behavioral evidence is strong enough to make this identification. Drmies (talk) 00:28, 11 September 2022 (UTC)

Comments by other users

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@Drmies: Thanks! Don't forget Throwawayaccount4. — MarkH₂₁^talk 00:33, 11 September 2022 (UTC)

• MarkH21, ha, I knew my count was off, but I got confused by the names. Thanks, Drmies (talk) 00:36, 11 September 2022 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

• Closing. Bbb23 (talk) 00:52, 11 September 2022 (UTC)

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14 November 2023

Suspected sockpuppets

• 61.69.212.180 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 60.240.143.33 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 203.111.6.156 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 61.68.49.53 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 14.201.98.19 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 60.241.106.179 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• Tools: Editor interaction utility · Interaction Timeline · SPI Tools

New IPs continuing Vpha's block evasion on the same exact set of articles. See this list of previously CU-blocked Vpha IPs, which has similar ranges and location (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia).'

Examples of editing overlap

Article	Old CU-blocked sock edits	New IP edits
Phạm (the sockmaster's surname)	2 edits by Vpha edit by OutrageousAnger 2 edits by 193.119.69.124 3 edits by 210.185.105.226 2 edits by 118.210.121.230 3 edits by 14.200.217.115	13 edits by 61.68.49.53 related edit by 61.68.49.53 (at Vietnamese name) 9 edits by 60.241.106.179
Sinosphere	27 edits by Introductionneeded edit by 2215rt 9 edits by 61.68.97.48 3 edits by 14.200.217.115	24 edits by 61.69.212.180 72 edits by 60.240.143.33
Anti-Vietnamese sentiment	edit by Introductionneeded 4 edits by 193.119.69.124	18 edits by 203.111.6.156 20 edits by 61.68.49.53
Bamboo network	4 edits by 14.200.217.115 edit by 203.166.241.41	related edit by 60.240.143.33 (at User talk:60.240.143.33) 14 edits by 14.201.98.19
Talk:Bamboo network	edits by 203.166.241.41 related edits by 203.166.241.41 (at Talk:Hoa people)	edits by 14.201.98.19
Talk:Hoa people	edits by 203.166.241.41	edits by 14.201.98.19
Vietnamese language	6 edits by Vpha 94 edits by Introductionneeded 2 edits by OutrageousAnger 6 edits by Changeanew 14 edits by 14.200.217.115	3 edits by 60.240.143.33 9 edits by 61.68.49.53 11 edits by 14.201.98.19

Various other articles with significant overlap include Culture of Vietnam, Human rights in Vietnam, Economy of Vietnam, Hoa people and Talk:Hoa people, Vietnam national football team, Vietnamese irredentism, Vietnamese nationalism, Vietnamese name, various surname articles (like Le (surname)), and various X-Vietnam relation articles (like China–Vietnam relations).

This doesn't even include a comparison with dozens of other IPs on the CU-blocked list, nor an analysis of the other behavioral similarities (e.g. their particular stance on Vietnamese relations with China, Cambodia, Japan). But here's a smoking gun at Talk:Bamboo network: old IP, new IP. — MarkH₂₁^talk 19:55, 14 November 2023 (UTC); updated 20:27, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

The old sock CU data is now stale, but I would also suggest a CU check & range checks on the new IPs for other undetected socks because Vpha has regularly created new accounts in the past. Courtesy pinging Drmies, who performed the most recent CU checks about 1 year ago. — MarkH₂₁^talk 20:24, 14 November 2023 (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

• Blocked 61.69.212.180, the only IP who's edited recently, for one week. Closing. Bbb23 (talk) 14:05, 15 November 2023 (UTC)

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17 November 2023

Suspected sockpuppets

• 11a22b33c44d55e (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• 61.69.212.180 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 60.240.143.33 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 61.68.49.53 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 203.111.6.156 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• Tools: Editor interaction utility · Interaction Timeline · SPI Tools

Interweaving edits between user and IPs across multiple related subjects (Vietnam/East Asian politics), often minutes or hours apart from each other. Special:Contributions/61.69.212.180 confirmed sock of Vpha. All the IP addresses are located in New South Wales in Australia. See editors interaction. Particularly Sinosphere, Phạm Quang Huy, Vietnamese nationalism, Christianity in Vietnam, Anti-Vietnamese sentiment, Vietnam national football team. Assisting in reverts: [2][3]. Backing up sock with citations: [4][5]. Qiushufang (talk) 14:35, 17 November 2023 (UTC)

Comments by other users

Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.

• +1. The editor interactions tool shows that 324 out of 11a22b33c44d55e's 432 edits overlap with the listed IPs alone. — MarkH₂₁^talk 10:09, 18 November 2023 (UTC)

Dear all parties. I am sorry for my ignorance and naive approach to using Wikipedia. My intention was not to sockpuppet but to help with adding information. I understand that my original account got banned for "sockpuppetry", so I made new ones because I am passionate about contributing to Wikipedia. The times I used an ip address were because not all my devices are logged onto Wikipedia. My phone service will use a different ip address for instance and at times I would become too lazy to log in. I realise the extent of this and I apologise unreservedly. I only wish to contribute to Wikipedia, and unfortunately, for many of my accounts, such as the Vpha one, I have forgotten to password to it already anyway. Thay may be the reason why I made other accounts. Please understand that I only want to help and NOT contribute to sockpuppetry. I made extensive edits contributing to Sinosphere and the Phạm Quang Huy page. I also wish to delete some of my other account or at least delete their user pages but I've either forgotten their password. If I ever do get unblocked for my accounts, can I ask for assistance in linking my accounts together as well? I only ever wanted to help edit on Wikipedia and share what I see. Please. 61.69.212.180 (talk) 14:12, 22 November 2023 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

• Blocked and tagged the named account. The unblocked IPs haven't edited recently. Closing. Bbb23 (talk) 23:25, 20 November 2023 (UTC)
• Blocked 61.69.212.180 for two weeks. Bbb23 (talk) 14:17, 22 November 2023 (UTC)
•  Confirmed 11a22b33c44d55e to the master account, as part of reviewing unblock requests. As per normal, no comment wrt IP addresses. --Yamla (talk) 15:33, 22 November 2023 (UTC)

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23 March 2024

Suspected sockpuppets

• 110.174.241.210 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 193.119.120.203 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 118.211.160.0/19 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 220.244.144.214 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• Tools: Editor interaction utility · Interaction Timeline · SPI Tools

Another slew of New South Wales IPs making overlapping consecutive nationalist Vietnamese edits [6][7][8][9][10][11]. See interest overlap. WP:DUCK @MarkH21: per their previous involvement with this user. Qiushufang (talk) 08:19, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Comments by other users

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Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

• Blocked 118.211.160.0/19 for one week. The other IPs haven't edited recently. Closing. Bbb23 (talk) 20:59, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

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11 April 2024

Suspected sockpuppets

• 210.84.33.97 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• 203.221.150.70 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• Tools: Editor interaction utility · Interaction Timeline · SPI Tools

More New South Wales IPs editing the same Vietnamese-related topics. Qiushufang (talk) 21:26, 11 April 2024 (UTC)

Comments by other users

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Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

• While the report was valid when opened, both IPs are dynamic and haven't edited in days. Closing.-- Ponyo^{bons mots} 22:34, 23 April 2024 (UTC)

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20 April 2024

Suspected sockpuppets

• Chichi255 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Tools: Editor interaction utility · Interaction Timeline · SPI Tools

New account. Purely POVPUSH edits on Vietnamese military subjects similar to VP. Edits at Cambodian–Vietnamese War where South Australia based IPs like all of the ones Vpha has been using [12][13]. And an account sock also edited the same page [14] No response or edit summary after being reverted [15]. See similar language in edit summary [16][17]. Qiushufang (talk) 04:55, 20 April 2024 (UTC)

Comments by other users

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Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

• There are no non- Stale accounts for me to check against. Note that the account has been blocked indefinitely as WP:NOTHERE by Antandrus, so closing with no further action.-- Ponyo^{bons mots} 22:32, 23 April 2024 (UTC)

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06 August 2024

Suspected sockpuppets

• 61.68.141.56 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RBLs · proxy check · block user · spi block · block log · cross-wiki contribs · CheckUser (log))
• Tools: Editor interaction utility · Interaction Timeline · SPI Tools

NSW IP active since Vpha's failed unban request in June 2024.

Same editing focus on List of Vietnamese Americans, Vovinam, New South Wales crime, and Vietnamese history topics as Vpha and previous socks/IPs (interaction utility with some of them, some overlaps aren't appearing in the utility like Vpha on Vovinam vs. IP on Vovinam). — MarkH₂₁^talk 07:29, 6 August 2024 (UTC)

The IP was blocked for 31 hours for WP:BANEVASION but has continued editing after the block expired. — MarkH₂₁^talk 14:59, 13 August 2024 (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

• Already blocked. Closing. Vanjagenije (talk) 22:59, 18 August 2024 (UTC)

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