How are "socks" (banned posters with new pseudonyms) discovered?

[TubaDiva]

@Autolycus

I can quite easily imagine somebody creating a sock merely to enjoy the pleasure of posting with two different personas.

Of course, in this case, they would have to be very careful to avoid posting something with the wrong account that would blow their cover and expose their footwear, so to speak.

Regards,
Shodan

We’ve caught a few that way. It’s hard work being someone besides yourself and attention to detail is crucial.

[TubaDiva]

PS My favorites is when we get socks that get into the same thread and argue with one another. It does make you wonder about multiple personalities, if such a thing really existed. Apparently it can on the internet!

[John_DiFool]

@Autolycus

I can quite easily imagine somebody creating a sock merely to enjoy the pleasure of posting with two different personas.

Of course, in this case, they would have to be very careful to avoid posting something with the wrong account that would blow their cover and expose their footwear, so to speak.

Regards,
Shodan

I saw what you did there, Auto.

Here is a thread which might shed further light on the sock mentality.

[mlees]

@samclem

This is all true. We hav more sophisticated software vB now. It merely tells us that another user with the same computer has posted. Usually, it’s a SO. We pick up on that rather quickly and ignore it. If it’s a returnee, it’s rather obvious.

Does the software also notify you of the opposite?

I post from both work and home computers (with different IP addresses, and probably different Internet Service Providers). So it looks like two seperate people posting to the same account/name.

[twickster]

@mlees

Does the software also notify you of the opposite?

I post from both work and home computers (with different IP addresses, and probably different Internet Service Providers). So it looks like two seperate people posting to the same account/name.

Nope – as long as you’re legitimately signed in from both machines, that’s not a problem. (What a nightmare if it were flagged! I think the people who don’t sign in from multiple devices/locations are in the minority.)

[Chronos]

I’m sure the software could notify of that, but why bother? It’s not indicative of breaking any rules.

[Colibri]

@mlees

I post from both work and home computers (with different IP addresses, and probably different Internet Service Providers). So it looks like two seperate people posting to the same account/name.

Actually, it looks like one person logging in from two different machines.

I post regularly from at least four different computers. Using my laptop, I’m sure I have posted from from dozens of different IPs in six different countries in the past year.

[hajario]

@samclem

This is all true. We hav more sophisticated software vB now. It merely tells us that another user with the same computer has posted. Usually, it’s a SO. We pick up on that rather quickly and ignore it. If it’s a returnee, it’s rather obvious.

If it’s an IP from a home internet service and the last user that used it was just banned two weeks ago, you can pretty safely say that it’s a sock.

If the IP is from a Starbucks in London or the Verizon network in San Francisco, it’s probably two different legitimate users.

Despite what Dex claimed upthread, there aren’t any high level secret things that haven’t been revealed. Most socks just aren’t smart enough to hide their tracks or simply don’t care and are easily found. There are probably quite a few who are smart enough and, obviously, it’s impossible to say how many of them that there are.

[Morgenstern]

I imagine the join date and the number of posts is a big clue if there is an investigation.

[etv78]

@TubaDiva

We’ve caught a few that way. It’s hard work being someone besides yourself and attention to detail is crucial.

IMO it’s not that hard to masquerade, but it’s probably easier on niche boards.

[I_Know_Nothing]

@Autolycus

I can quite easily imagine somebody creating a sock merely to enjoy the pleasure of posting with two different personas.

Of course, in this case, they would have to be very careful to avoid posting something with the wrong account that would blow their cover and expose their footwear, so to speak.

Regards,
Shodan

Let’s go to the quarry and throw some rocks down there!

[Ludovic]

@I_Know_Nothing

Let’s go to the quarry and throw some rocks down there!

In Russia, quarries throw rocks at…wait, nevermind.