Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Be Like Me/Archive

Be Like Me

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

08 May 2022

Suspected sockpuppets

FlashWikipedian (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki) ( Clerk note: original case name)

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

Three recently-created users whose only edits are directed at de-promoting Hexnode? I'm all for getting promotional pages off of here, but this smells fishy to me. Requesting CheckUser because I suspect that this is connected to promoting one of Hexnode's competitors. agtx 23:39, 8 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Comments by other users

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

I see two possibilities. One is that this is an operation with some knowledge of how Wikipedia works trying to promote this company and make sure the page doesn't get deleted. The interaction between the socks is designed to bolster the credibility of the keep !voters and to make it appear as though there is a real debate. FlashWikipedian plays the role of the user removing promotional content (added by a user who has been blocked as a suspected sock) and calling out the bad faith actors (also socks) yet still arguing to keep the page. For example, note FlashWikipedian on the AfD trying to discredit the delete !vote of Pavitapu (can't provide diff because there have been revdels). I think that's the more likely explanation, especially given the overwrought intro on FlashWikipedian's user page.

The other possibility is that the accounts identified as indistinguishable below are trying to get the page deleted, and that the obviously promotional edit is to help discredit the article. In this scenario, FlashWikipedian is quasi-innocent. I think that the flurry of activity around just this company makes that very unlikely. agtx 15:02, 11 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

In progress - -- RoySmith (talk) 22:13, 10 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
- Neerejor (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
- Pavitapu (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
- LauraKreidberg (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
are all Technically indistinguishable to each other, but are only Possible to FlashWikipedian. What puzzles me is that Neerejor's single edit is highly promotional, which doesn't really fit the pattern. So, I'll let somebody else ponder this. -- RoySmith (talk) 22:30, 10 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Per the results of WP:Sockpuppet investigations/Egela, FlashWikipedian is likely a separate group from LauraKreidberg/Pavitapu/Neerejor, but is confirmed to the following accounts:
- Be Like Me (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
- Theshininglarry (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
All three of these accounts have been involved in promoting Hexnode. Will move this case to the oldest account. The other accounts are being dealt with at the Egela SPI. Thanks, Spicy (talk) 22:58, 23 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Moved case, tagged Be Like Me, FlashWikipedian, and Theshininglarry. Closing. Spicy (talk) 23:00, 23 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]