James Gibbon (wikipedia@jamesgibbon.com) [050711 02:23]:
On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 01:53:18 +1000 fun@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.