Wikipedia:Suspected sock puppets/CRANdieter

The following discussion is an archived debate of the case of suspected sockpuppetry. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page. All edits should go to the talk page of this case. If you are seeing this page as a result of an attempt to open a new case of sockpuppetry of the same user, read this for detailed instructions.

User:CRANdieter

Evidence

On Talk:Ben Best/archive 1 user User:Ben Best makes the following allegations (Allegations are summarised in the bullet points below):

The User:CRANdieter account is itself a sock puppet of a person unknown. (Ben Best links CRANdieter to the earlier accounts / possible sock puppets User:Happy Savage and User:Dwayne McGee.) The CRANdieter account has been used largely for attacking Ben Best.

On 28 June editor User:Usernamefortonyd added a link to an external page written by Ben Best on the Alcohol consumption and health wiki page [1]. On 29 June, CRANdieter posted a message on Talk:Alcohol consumption and health crticising Ben Best on the basis of his colourful past rather than the contents of the article. [2] On 30 June, CRANdieter posted much the same message[3]. On 14 July, CRANdieter posted a jibe directed at Ben Best[4]. From 31 July onwards, CRANdieter has edited only Ben Best and its talk page. CRANdieter's last edit was on 8 August.

The User:Freezer Man account has been used exclusively for attacking Ben Best, apart from one edit on Tobacco smoking.

Freezer Man's first edit was on 9 August, the day after CRANdieter ceased.

On 20 August, Freezer Man posted on the Talk:Ben Best. This edit bears a strong similarity to the two edits by CRANdieter on 29 June and 30 June mentioned above. [5]. This appeared again on 2 September [[6]]. On 5 September, Freezer Man marked Ben Best's talk page edits as Single Purpose Accounts, in response to a similar labelling of Freezer Man's.[7]

Following a complaint by BB, Administrator User:Shanes asked Freezer Man whether Freezer Man is one of a number of accounts, but has received no reply to date.

The User:CopOnTheBeat account has been used solely for attacking Ben Best.

Following a complaint by BB, Administrator User:Shanes asked CopOnTheBeat whether CopOnTheBeat is one of a number of accounts, but has received no reply to date.

CopOnTheBeat has made just two edits [8] both criticising Ben Best [9]

The User:Cecelia Hensley account is a more subtle account, used to attack Ben Best from a different angle. Although Cecelia Hensley has made footling edits to a number of pages, its principal purpose is nonetheless to attack Ben Best.

On 22 August, Cecelia Hensley made an edit to the Talk page[10]. The theme was similar to some of those of Freezer Man's i.e. a conflict of interest between BB as a wiki editor and his commercial interests. The Cecelia Hensley perspective is presented as that of a cryonics supporter: "Ben’s actions seem harmful to the cryonics movement".

Note that Ben Best is both a wikipedia editor User:Ben Best and the subject of an article Ben Best, mainly regarding his cryonics activities. Nunquam Dormio 10:16, 7 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Comments

I believe that the best summary of this sock puppetry -- as well as the evidence for it -- can be found in one particular entry of the archive: The Many-Headed Hydra of Freezer Man's Sock Puppets. I believe that this should be the best place to start in understanding the problem. This entry comes directly after Distressing Behavior, the entry by what I believe is the most subtle of the sock puppet family, Cecelia Hensley. This individual has been given a "feminine persona" such that the "Distressing Behavior" attack has a softer touch. This individual has a portfolio of minor edits to cryonics/life extension edits which began August 11, so is not so obviously a "single purpose account". Following the "Distressing Behavior" attack, "Cecilia" developed a more "helpful" attitude toward the Ben Best entry and made a number of edits that mostly hacked-away a large amount of content [11]. And is now presenting "herself" as a peacemaker (Talk:Ben_Best#Request).

I believe that this all began because of someone citing a web page I wrote about alcohol [12] in the Alcohol_consumption_and_health page. I had not been aware of the existence of this page until I was made the target of an attack on What kind of authority is this? by the CRANdieter sock puppet. My writings evidently greatly agitated this individual. From studying other edits on the Alcohol_consumption_and_health page I believe CRANdieter is associated with the sock puppets User:Happy Savage and User:Dwayne McGee in an effort to impose a strong "alcohol is good for you" POV into that Wikipedia entry. There may be other sock puppets involved, but I have not studied the Alcohol_consumption_and_health carefully enough to make this assessment.

Naturally I have a personal interest in the Ben Best page, but I have not made an edit to that page since the month of June, although I have had to defend myself against attacks on the Talk:Ben_Best and have even provided information about my education when demanded to do so by Freezer Man. Freezer Man has been using Talk:Ben_Best as a soapbox for personal attack since the month of June. I made no response to his vandalism for part of June and nearly the whole month of July, but by attacking cryonics, and not just me personally, Freezer Man aroused the interest of cryonicists who attempted to oppose his vandalism. So the Talk:Ben_Best and Ben Best pages have been a battleground.

I would not have initiated this "Suspected sock puppet" entry if Nunquam Dormio had not done so. I believe that Nunquam Dormio has had much experience with this sock puppet on the Alcohol_consumption_and_health entry, but he has chosen to focus on the vandalism of the Ben Best page. Thanks to the actions of the administrator Shanes I have been hopeful that this whole process was finally ending. I have been advised to be patient, and I have tried to be patient since June, but Freezer Man has been relentless, tireless and patient in his attacks. I truly hope that this is the last entry I will have to make on this subject. I know the price of mutual recrimination. If Freezer Man would only have left me alone -- or if he will leave me alone in the future -- I will have no desire pursue this further. I do not have an appetite for revenge. -- Ben Best 15:06, 7 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Seems likely. Iola k ana•T 18:44, 7 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]