Question about multiple accounts

[liirogue]

Yes, I know we are not supposed to have multiple accounts. My question is this: There are quite a few husbands and wives (an example) who post here, presumably from the same computer. I also assume the Board uses some sort of software to tell if a banned poster is returning, or if a member has a sock. What, if anything, prevents this software (or any other method) from kicking out the names of these legit posters, who happen to share a computer with another Doper?

[UncleBeer]

I also assume the Board uses some sort of software to tell if a banned poster is returning, or if a member has a sock.
Nope. This is entirely a manual investigative process.

[liirogue]

I feel sorry for the poor person that gets that task put on them!

[Troy McClure SF]

Originally posted by liirogue
I feel sorry for the poor person that gets that task put on them!

Funny you should say that, because that duty usually falls upon the member who most recently asked this question.

Check your in-box.

A lot.

;)

[Ephemera]

How exactly do you determine if someone is a sock puppet?

I know you can use IPs but considering the wide availability of proxy servers and ISPs like AOL that have hundreds of people under the same IP, I don't see how that could help too much.

[Lynn Bodoni]

We have our ways. In fact, one poster who used AOL had SUCH a distinctive posting style and screenname selection that we could often get him on the first post. Other than that, I don't want to get into specifics. I certainly don't want to tell socks how to sock better.

[Ephemera]

Ah, sorry then. I was just curious.

[Musicat]

I have been curious about such matters, too, but have refrained from posting questions for fear the mods don't want to reveal too much. And I wouldn't want them to.

And I have refrained from emailing them the same questions in deference to their already large work load.

Obviously, others have no such compunctions.