Wikipedia:Sockpuppet_investigations

Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations

Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations

This page is for requesting that we investigate whether two or more Wikipedia accounts are being abusively operated by the same person.

"WP:SI" redirects here. For the set index guideline, see WP:SETINDEX.
To request CheckUser in a case that does not involve sockpuppetry, please scroll down to Quick CheckUser requests.

Before opening an investigation, you need good reason to suspect sockpuppetry.

  1. Evidence is required. When you open the investigation, you must immediately provide evidence that the suspected sock puppets are connected. The evidence will need to include diffs of edits that suggest the accounts are connected. (This requirement is waived if the edits in question are deleted; in this case just provide the names of the pages that the accounts have been editing.)
  2. You must provide this evidence in a clear way. Vaguely worded submissions will not be investigated. You need to actually show why your suspicion that the accounts are connected is reasonable.
  3. Concision is key. Evidence should be presented in a concise format. Because of the length of the backlog, cases with clear and concise explanations and evidence are handled the most quickly.

Investigations are conducted by a clerk or an administrator, who will compare the accounts' behaviour and determine whether they are probably connected. Upon request, investigations can also be conducted by a checkuser, who can look at technical data behind the accounts in order to determine how likely it is they are connected. CheckUser results are often called technical evidence, in contrast to publicly available behavioural evidence.

Due to Wikipedia's CheckUser policy, checkusers will conduct a technical investigation only if clear, behavioural evidence of sockpuppetry is also submitted; if you ask for technical evidence to be looked at but do not provide behavioural evidence, the investigation may not be allowed to proceed. Additionally, checkusers will not publicly connect an account with an IP address per the privacy policy except in extremely rare circumstances.

More information How to open an investigation:, If you are not autoconfirmed, and the case page is protected or does not exist, please click "show" to the right and use the box below. ...

Cases currently listed at SPI

More information Investigation, Status ...

Quick CheckUser requests

Use this section to request checkuser information relating to a situation that does not involve sock puppetry. You could use this section to request, for example:
  • Underlying IPs of an account, where the autoblock has expired or been ineffective.
  • Collateral damage checks for the informed hardblocking of IPs or ranges.
  • IP block exemption checks before granting IPBE (or to verify it is being used constructively).

For threats of harm (to self or others) you must email emergency@wikimedia.org (see the threats of harm page) and not use this page. Requests to investigate and confirm sockpuppetry should be listed in the sockpuppet section above, and not here (such requests will be summarily removed).

To make a request here, copy the following template and paste it to the end of this section (quick link to edit) – replacing "header" with an informative title, and adding underneath the template any relevant information – then sign using "~~~~", preview, and click "save".

==== HEADER ====
{{SPIquick}}
* {{Checkuser|username}}
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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Wikipedia:Sockpuppet_investigations, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.