Wikipedia:Suspected sock puppets

This page is currently inactive and is retained for historical reference. Either the page is no longer relevant or consensus on its purpose has become unclear. To revive discussion, seek broader input via a forum such as the village pump.

CAUTION The suspected sockpuppets page and the requests for CheckUser page have been merged into Sockpuppet investigations (SPI). SPI is designed to make the process of dealing with sockpuppets much easier, by using one central page for all sockpuppet discussion, rather than fragmented discussion between SSP and RFCU. SPI is very similar to both of these, so users of these pages should find SPI familiar. In addition to the merging of both pages, the RFCU and SSP shortcuts will also be redirected to the new SPI page and the current processes will be discontinued. The co-ordination page for this is at Wikipedia talk:Sockpuppet investigations.

The suspected sock puppets page is where Wikipedians discuss if a fellow Wikipedian has violated Wikipedia's policy on sock puppets. Cases on this page are evaluated primarily on the basis of behavioral evidence, and the editors and administrators who look at the reports typically do not have the ability to determine what IP addresses Wikipedia editors are using. If you believe your case requires an IP check, please go to requests for checkuser.

Sometimes users who appear to work with a common agenda are not sockpuppets (one user, multiple accounts), but multiple users editing with the sole purpose of backing each other up, often called "meatpuppets." Meatpuppets are not regular Wikipedians who happen to agree with each other; they are accounts set up by separate individuals for the sole purpose of supporting one another. For the purposes of upholding policy, Wikipedia does not distinguish between meatpuppets and sockpuppets. Please see Wikipedia:Sock puppetry.