English Wikipedia @ Freddythechick:Sockpuppet investigations/Levelaunt/Archive/1

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Levelaunt

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

23 September 2023

Suspected sockpuppets

This seems to be a sock farm created to promote the Taipei shopping district of Ximending. Many of these accounts have been adding the 2020 photo File:Ximending rainbow crossing 201910.jpg to the top of articles during the past few weeks, including articles where it's not a useful illustration, such as pedestrian, as well as reorganising list articles to put Ximending at the top, and in boldface. Some have also been pushing the nonsensical phrase Ximending is the source of Taiwan's fashion, subculture, Japanese and Korean culture into articles ([1], [2]), using the exact same travel.taipei reference template.

Wiccasidole is the oldest of these accounts that I've been able to find. Belbury (talk) 15:12, 23 September 2023 (UTC)

Looking at related articles, I've added two more accounts Yarkdwave and Pkwyquick, who haven't been adding the photo but have been adding the same fashion text ([3], [4]). Pkwyquick is actually a couple of weeks older than the Wiccasidole account. Belbury (talk) 15:18, 23 September 2023 (UTC)
Adding Koregpd as another user pushing Ximending to the top of a list in an article, and adding the source of Taiwan's fashion, subculture text. Also Akivmpay suggesting that a pedestrian crossing in Ximending is the best illustration in the entire world of a tourist attraction. --Belbury (talk) 09:23, 24 September 2023 (UTC)
Have also found five SPA accounts adding the unsourced "... is the Ximending of Seoul" or "... is the Ximending of Tokyo" comparison to mentions of shopping areas in other countries, in the last few weeks: Primpneta, Unifyonyx, Surubix, Cairnpokew, Po61eard. Unifyonyx and Cairnpokew were both edit warring it, with no other edits. --Belbury (talk) 10:19, 24 September 2023 (UTC)
And Br39ace doing the thing of moving Ximending to the top of an alphabetical list and bolding it, and adding promotional language. --Belbury (talk) 10:24, 24 September 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

  • CheckUser requested - So many, we need to confirm and look for others. Bbb23 (talk) 12:57, 24 September 2023 (UTC)
  •  In progress. --Blablubbs (talk) 15:31, 24 September 2023 (UTC)

 Confirmed:

Follow-ups still ongoing. --Blablubbs (talk) 15:59, 24 September 2023 (UTC)

--Blablubbs (talk) 16:15, 24 September 2023 (UTC)

03 November 2023

Suspected sockpuppets

I found one more who edited the Hsinchu article. --Silence of Lambs (talk) 15:49, 3 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

  •  Additional information needed. In order to facilitate and expedite your request, please provide diffs to support your case. Please give two or more diffs meeting the following format:
  1. At least one diff is from the sockmaster (or an account already blocked as a confirmed sockpuppet of the sockmaster), showing the behaviour characteristic of the sockmaster.
  2. At least one diff per suspected sockpuppet, showing the suspected sockpuppet emulating the behaviour of the sockmaster given in the first diff.
  3. In situations where it is not immediately obvious from the diffs what the characteristic behaviour is, a short explanation must be provided. Around one sentence is enough for this. MarioGom (talk) 19:59, 3 November 2023 (UTC)

05 December 2023

Suspected sockpuppets

The usual Taipei/Taiwan-related additions to random articles on articles (U8csx6gc (blocked sock), Лбли). Requesting CU as this sockpuppet tends to use dozens of one-off accounts in different articles. John Yunshire (talk) 16:32, 5 December 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

  •  Clerk endorsed - it's worth a check. Evidence is scarce because it's just 2 edits, but note that the image was added to the same article (relatively low traffic) with the same exact parameters. MarioGom (talk) 18:17, 5 December 2023 (UTC)
  • Based on historical, yes. But also, I have a dump of accounts to make that will look like the last large go around. Be back in a sec. Izno (talk) 20:48, 5 December 2023 (UTC)

 Confirmed the below. Left a note on CU wiki about how the unused accounts ended up in the list.

Potential sleepers but nothing damning like with the sleepers in and around the above series of accounts:

And 2 accounts out of the 130ish that showed up here that look very unrelated to this MO.

... I should probably check the historical IPv4 ranges here also. Will get back to you later possibly. Izno (talk) 22:36, 5 December 2023 (UTC)

Ok, nothing on the historical IPv4. Izno (talk) 04:33, 6 December 2023 (UTC)
  • Blocked the confirmed accounts, no tags, locks requested. (No comment on whether they should have tags.) Izno (talk) 22:42, 5 December 2023 (UTC)
  •  Blocked and tagged. Closing. Vanjagenije (talk) 14:42, 6 December 2023 (UTC)

09 December 2023

Suspected sockpuppets

I'm not entirely clear how SPIs handles IP socks but this IP has been restoring sockpuppet edits in the habitual topic area of the sockmaster. John Yunshire (talk) 15:29, 9 December 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

  • John Yunshire, a behavioral investigation may be made here but a CheckUser cannot comment on the connection between an IP and a user account. In the future WP:AIV is usually a better place to go to get immediate remedy for someone evading their block. I have set this to CU declined and let another CU and/or clerk and/or patrolling admin decide whether to close with any action. Izno (talk) 03:41, 12 December 2023 (UTC)
  • I've blocked the IP for the behavior for a month. Izno (talk) 05:59, 24 December 2023 (UTC)
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