The Last of Us Wiki:Sock puppetry policy

This page documents an official wiki guideline

This page documents the accepted standard that all editors should follow, although it should be treated with common sense, as occasional exceptions will apply. Be sure to thoroughly read this page—along with all other policies and guidelines—before contributing to the wiki. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus.

This is the official page for the sock puppetry policy of The Last of Us Wiki. This policy defines what sock puppetry is and the consequences of committing sock puppetry on the wiki.

All policies are expected to be understood and adhered by all users on the wiki, regardless of status or position, generally before contributing to the wiki. Failure to comply with these policies may result in a warning, and if continued, a block from the wiki.

Certain policies are able to be changed or modified based on a general community consensus. Anyone who disagrees with a policy is welcome to suggest changes, which can be organized on Discussions or contacting an active administrator.

What is sock puppetry?

Wikipedia defines a sock puppet as "an online identity used for purposes of deception."

On The Last of Us Wiki, sock puppetry is most commonly the act of creating a new account and/or IP address in an attempt to circumvent a block given to a user, usually to continue editing or disrupting the wiki. Another example of sock puppetry is creating a new account and/or IP address in an attempt to sway a community vote or consensus.

Users who detect or suspect ongoing sock puppetry should report the issue to an active administrator by leaving a message on their message wall.

Examples of sock puppetry

The following section lists common examples of sock puppetry on The Last of Us Wiki. Each of these examples is strictly prohibited and may result in punitive action by an administrator.

• Ban evasion – Users who are blocked or permanently banned from the wiki may not employ any method to circumvent their block in an attempt to continue editing or influencing the wiki. This applies to both registered and unregistered users, also known as anonymous users or anons. Sock puppetry in this case may take place in various forms, such as:
  • Registering an alternate username or editing anonymously in order to create a new identity.
  • Using a proxy server or mobile device, such as a cell phone, to generate a new IP address in order to bypass a block on a residential IP address.
    • Proxy servers and web hosting services are typically banned on sight due to their potential for abuse. Public access ports such as schools, libraries, and restaurants may also be banned if suspected of abuse.
  • Recruiting other users to make edits for you while you are blocked.
• Ballot stuffing – Users may feel compelled to manipulate the outcome of a community discussion or consensus vote by commenting on the post(s) using different usernames in order to create the impression of multiple users sharing the same opinion.
  • Alternatively, users may try to recruit friends from other websites in order to help them support a particular position. This practice is commonly known as meat puppetry and is similarly prohibited on The Last of Us Wiki.
• Multiple accounts – Some users may attempt to register and maintain multiple accounts for innocuous reasons, such as for fun or to create multiple user pages for purposes of vanity. The Last of Us Wiki users may only edit from one registered account at a time.

Consequences of sock puppetry

Committing sock puppetry on The Last of Us Wiki is strictly prohibited. If a user is found guilty of committing any form of sock puppetry and/or meat puppetry, any account on the wiki involved in the act is subject to an indefinite block from the wiki.

IP addresses used to evade a block will be blocked. Specifically, proxy IP addresses will be permanently banned. At the discretion of the administrator, the duration of the user's original block may be extended.

Any user found to be maintaining multiple accounts for innocuous reasons will be reminded of the sock puppetry policy and be advised to choose one account to utilize. At the discretion of the administrator, any secondary accounts may then be permanently blocked to prevent abuse.

What is not sock puppetry?

The following section lists common examples of practices that should not be considered sock puppetry on The Last of Us Wiki:

• Changing usernames – Users may change their Fandom username once–and only once–through Fandom's user renaming tool. However, users often change their username by simply registering a new account. In such an event, users who register a new account may not edit from multiple accounts simultaneously or use the new account to hide from a previous account's editing history, both of which may be construed as sock puppetry. If you've created a new account and do not plan on using your previous account, it is highly advised to close the old account.
• Bots – Some users maintain secondary bot accounts on the wiki for maintenance tasks. The identity of the main user must be specified on the bot user page, and the bot account may only be used for bot editing and maintenance.