James Gibbon (wikipedia(a)jamesgibbon.com) [050711 02:23]:
On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 01:53:18 +1000
fun(a)thingy.apana.org.au (David Gerard) wrote:
> [[Special:CheckUser]], the IP-to-name checker, is
up and working
> again. This is so that the Arbitration Committee can do quick
> sockpuppet checks without having to bug the devs.
If I may present a hypothetical situation: let's
say two adults
living in the same house both have Wikipedia accounts, and both
are regular users in their own right. If they share the same
Internet connection, as they probably would, they will have the
same IP address.
It's quite likely that, if they have a personal relationship of
some kind, which again they probably would - one will tend to
support the other occasionally, if only because one reason they
share a home is that they have a similar world view.
Should either be considered a sockpuppet of the other?
This is a situation that doesn't apply to me at all, but I think
it's worth remembering that an IP-to-name checker should be
used with caution.
Well, yes. This is why sock checking is an art and not a science :-)
[[m:CheckUser]] discusses these concerns in detail. You need someone who
can not only be trusted to do the right thing, but who knows the little
detailed quirks of net abuse tracing. I got my experience tracking down
Usenet and email spammers, for example. So I'm wary of doing a check just
because I can, because I don't want to set a bad precedent for whoever
follows.
Mostly, you'll have cases like me and [[User:Redcountess]], who will resolve
to the same IP but write in a completely different style on different
topics. Sockpuppetry is only *suspected* on the basis of notable similarity
in edit style and topic interest; an IP match is just the cherry on top.
- d.