# Question about multiple accounts **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 23, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-multiple-accounts/190398 "2003-07-23T16:27:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-multiple-accounts/190398/1 "2003-07-23T16:27:01Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-multiple-accounts/190398/2 "2003-07-23T16:50:27Z")
> [@](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-multiple-accounts/190398/3 "2003-07-23T17:20:37Z")
I feel sorry for the poor person that gets that task put on them! ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-multiple-accounts/190398/4 "2003-07-23T18:56:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*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. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-multiple-accounts/190398/5 "2003-07-24T06:19:05Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-multiple-accounts/190398/6 "2003-07-24T10:26:30Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-multiple-accounts/190398/7 "2003-07-24T20:27:17Z")
Ah, sorry then. I was just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-multiple-accounts/190398/8 "2003-07-26T19:26:14Z")
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.