Gothic cottage, White Lion Street

Katniss

Well-Known Forumite
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
Oscar Wilde

I use several Twitter accounts - one in my own name and one anonymous account for each of the issues I comment on.

Perhaps I phrased that wrong because I don't use my real name on different sites but I don't pretend to be what I am not. eg. male etc.
 

citricsquid

Well-Known Forumite
I'm a professional forum administrator, maybe I can help shed some light on the subject. Identifying sockpuppets (we call them "Alternate accounts"[1]) is not an exact science, you'll usually have to make some sort of judgement call based on the information available, the factors we consider are IP addresses, content and motive.

An IP address is like a phone number, they are unique and can only belong to one network at a time but they can be reassigned, meaning a post made from IP Address 198.51.100.0 in 2016 is not necessarily being made from the same network that made a post from that IP Address in 2015. Like a call from a phone number, a post from an IP address proves only that the post came from that IP address, it does not prove who that IP address belongs to nor does it prove who was using the network at the time, but it provides enough information for a judgement to be made.

If you receive a phone call from 07700 900000 on Monday and then you receive a phone call from 07700 900000 on Wednesday you can't know for sure that the number belongs to the same person, nor can you know who is using the phone, however you can infer based on the fact that you're being called from a number that called days before and the contents of the conversation what the likelihood is that it's the same person. If each phone call is a different voice, talking about a different subject, they might not be related, if the voice and the subject is the same: probably the same person.

Much like how the same IP address doesn't guarantee it's the same person, different IP addresses don't guarantee it's a different person. People who wish to be more secretive about their use of alternate accounts will often connect to alternate networks (usually a vpn or proxy, but maybe they go to a friends house and use their WiFi), and in cases like that it often comes down to the content (what they're talking about, the style of their posts, what motive they might have).

Regarding the technicals of IP Addresses, an IP Address is specific to a network, not device. A laptop, computer and iPad connected to the same WiFi network will all have the same public IP Address, and these devices could all belong to different people. If you were to come to my apartment and connect to my WiFi and make a post on this forum from your phone it would show the same IP address as the one this post is being made from.

[1] Sockpuppet is traditionally used to refer to someone behaving deceptively, but someone may have multiple accounts for legitimate reasons, so we call them alternate accounts (vs. their main account).

(There are some simplifications in this post, tried to keep it understandable for anyone with no technology experience.)
 

Mikinton

Well-Known Forumite
Thanks for that, @citricsquid . I'd always assumed, wrongly, that different devices would be on different IP addresses. Hey, ho ..... you learn something every day.

ETA And, yes, I am aware of the MAC address.
 
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littleme

250,000th poster!
I'm a professional forum administrator, maybe I can help shed some light on the subject. Identifying sockpuppets (we call them "Alternate accounts"[1]) is not an exact science, you'll usually have to make some sort of judgement call based on the information available, the factors we consider are IP addresses, content and motive.

An IP address is like a phone number, they are unique and can only belong to one network at a time but they can be reassigned, meaning a post made from IP Address 198.51.100.0 in 2016 is not necessarily being made from the same network that made a post from that IP Address in 2015. Like a call from a phone number, a post from an IP address proves only that the post came from that IP address, it does not prove who that IP address belongs to nor does it prove who was using the network at the time, but it provides enough information for a judgement to be made.

If you receive a phone call from 07700 900000 on Monday and then you receive a phone call from 07700 900000 on Wednesday you can't know for sure that the number belongs to the same person, nor can you know who is using the phone, however you can infer based on the fact that you're being called from a number that called days before and the contents of the conversation what the likelihood is that it's the same person. If each phone call is a different voice, talking about a different subject, they might not be related, if the voice and the subject is the same: probably the same person.

Much like how the same IP address doesn't guarantee it's the same person, different IP addresses don't guarantee it's a different person. People who wish to be more secretive about their use of alternate accounts will often connect to alternate networks (usually a vpn or proxy, but maybe they go to a friends house and use their WiFi), and in cases like that it often comes down to the content (what they're talking about, the style of their posts, what motive they might have).

Regarding the technicals of IP Addresses, an IP Address is specific to a network, not device. A laptop, computer and iPad connected to the same WiFi network will all have the same public IP Address, and these devices could all belong to different people. If you were to come to my apartment and connect to my WiFi and make a post on this forum from your phone it would show the same IP address as the one this post is being made from.

[1] Sockpuppet is traditionally used to refer to someone behaving deceptively, but someone may have multiple accounts for legitimate reasons, so we call them alternate accounts (vs. their main account).

(There are some simplifications in this post, tried to keep it understandable for anyone with no technology experience.)
I've recently been told that someone (on here) has used the same IP address moi - however, its 'thought' that its the browser that myself & the other member use is to blame....I'm defiantly not a sockpuppet...although sometimes a Muppet!
 

Mikinton

Well-Known Forumite
Thanks for that, @citricsquid . I'd always assumed, wrongly, that different devices would be on different IP addresses. Hey, ho ..... you learn something every day.

ETA And, yes, I am aware of the MAC address.

And I should just say that my IP address on this device is 81.108.23.113

.... but if I accessed the forum on my HTC phone via 3G, it would be 212.183.128.119 (but is the same as the above when I access it thru my wifi).
 

Admin

You there; behave!
Staff member
Can I just clarify, @proactive is just a normal member like any other, so any claims he is making about sockpuppet accounts are just that - claims, based on his opinion, supposition and (presumably) hearsay. I felt I had to make this clear, as some people seem to just believe the accusations he is making without any kind of evidence.

In the interests of fairness I should point out that, @bandwagon is also supposed to be one and the same as @The truth the whole truth.

Which I identified as soon as bandwagon registered, removed their posts, and contacted both parties to tell them to cease & desist. I also posted about it in the relevant thread, so that all readers were aware and would not be misled.

That is my job, not yours.

Now look out for a Newbie entering the fray.

And therein lies the problem. By making public accusations and instigating witch hunts, you create an air of paranoia and a hostile environment for new members.

Stop it.

Maybe people should be careful what they say until @Admin has confirmed this?

Thank you for trying to be the voice of reason, @bigbluewolf.

This isn't Twitter, people. Leave your millennial witch hunts at the door. If you suspect foul play, please let me know either by private conversation or by reporting posts.

To be honest Martin is a decent addition to the forum as someone who obviously has a lot invested in Stafford I.e rugby club, developments, refurbishments. At least theres someone to answer questions or update like on this thread.

Indeed. I am amazed that MAL put up with as much as he did; he didn't have to register here to provide information. He certainly didn't have to reply so verbosely to the many acerbic remarks posted in his direction.
 

Admin

You there; behave!
Staff member
I do understand about respecting peoples anonymity but when this involves business and information that is available online ...does that still count?
This one is quite easy, so I'll reply separately rather than lump it in with the above finger wagging!

Publicly available information is exactly that: public. So you and I can say that the President of the United States of America is a chap called Barack Obama, for example, as that is a matter of public record that anyone can look up.

What is not allowed on Stafford Forum is identifying members here. So you would not be allowed to ask, for example, "Wait a minute, is @Carole the President of the United States of America?" because this would identify who the person is behind the username "Carole".
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Can I just clarify, @proactive is just a normal member like any other, so any claims he is making about sockpuppet accounts are just that - claims, based on his opinion, supposition and (presumably) hearsay. I felt I had to make this clear, as some people seem to just believe the accusations he is making without any kind of evidence.

That is my job, not yours.
Fair play, I apologise if I was wrong.

Presumably you are saying that @MAL and @Coeus are not one and the same?
 

Admin

You there; behave!
Staff member
Fair play, I apologise if I was wrong.

Presumably you are saying that @MAL and @Coeus are not one and the same?
I have deliberately not commented on that.

As others have pointed out, there are a great many ways that I can identify multiple accounts, but none are 100% and I prefer to at least enter into a discussion with people before stating assumptions and accusations as fact.

I am awaiting reply to private conversations and will take appropriate action if and when required.
 

PPPPPP

Well-Known Forumite
Indeed. I am amazed that MAL put up with as much as he did; he didn't have to register here to provide information. He certainly didn't have to reply so verbosely to the many acerbic remarks posted in his direction.

No sympathy for that argument as MAL brought it all on himself. It was difficult NOT to realise who he was from what he posted, so it was entirely fair to jump on his inconsistent remarks, even more so when he was reincarnated.
 

1JKz

Well-Known Forumite
That's me in my avatar, that's my really name, this is me posting.
Just incase anyone's wondering.
 

Vid

A few posts under my belt
Thank you for trying, @1JKz. Hopefully you can get this thread back on track. :)
In the 1871 English census my grandfather and his brother were living in Gothic Cottage. They were aged six and four years old. How they came to be there is a mystery. The cottage was built on the site of the workhouse for Castlechurch parish in 1840-42 and listed as Grade II by English Heritage in Feb 1994.
 

Sir BoD

Well-Known Forumite
In the 1871 English census my grandfather and his brother were living in Gothic Cottage. They were aged six and four years old. How they came to be there is a mystery. The cottage was built on the site of the workhouse for Castlechurch parish in 1840-42 and listed as Grade II by English Heritage in Feb 1994.
The thing is, they may not have been living at the cottage. I can't remember when the approach to recording people changed, but census takers would jot down the names of who were in the building at that time and not necessarily who actually lived there. So, in the 1871 census, Mrs Miggins may have left her two up, two down bungalow to go and visit her ol' mucker Dotty Golightly at 4 Wormwood Avenue. However, the census would show that a person called Dotty and another called Mrs. Miggins were at this address but wouldn't specify whether they resided there, or not.

Either way, that's still a very intriguing bit of info there, vid.:up:
 
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