How Often Are Sock Puppet Accounts Looked For?

Since no one has bothered...

I will... The Terms & Conditions Of Use are brief and to the point:

16c.) Multiple Accounts: You will not create multiple user accounts and "talk to yourself."

Pretty cut and dry... If you use multiple accounts in collusion, the hammer will drop... But if you have a second account that posts distinctly and separately from your first one, we'll probably never know, notice, or take action...

That is not and open invitation to open multiple accounts...

Reply to post by jude11

lol thats another category of posters, im unsure wether to call them phage's groupies or phage's echo.

disclaimer: i have nothing against phage, just those who stalk his shadow pretty much like pigeons expecting cookie crumbles to fall their way, stars in this case.

thats why i like the mobile version, im totally unaware if i get starred or not, and makes me focus on what people type and not what their suposed virtual status is.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by jude11


Im glad you posted that. I think a lot of people are suspecting something is different lately in terms of multiple accounts, strange starring and flagging occurrences that dont seem like the norm, sock puppetry, etc. I know I have lately noticed weirdness that makes me go "hmmmm." I actually do not have a paranoid personality, but I do have the sort of personality that notices changes in pattern.

If ATS wants to allow multiple accounts its their right. However, I do think its disingenuous of them to allow it, and then pretend that its all just paranoia on the part of the membership when people get suspicious that there are people using multiple accounts. It makes absolutely no sense to both allow multiple accounts and deny that people are using multiple accounts, when people are flat out admitting they do.

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


An increase in stars and flags. Hmm, maybe it has something to do with the rise in members and traffic?

www.quantcast.com...

Also, on the Forum page:

Most logged-in members on ATS at one time:
1,239 on May 2 2011 @ 05:14 GMT.

Most registed members on ATS in one day:
8,092 on May 2 2011 @ 23:15 GMT

Most new posts on ATS in one day:
13,422 on May 2 2011 @ 23:15 GMT.

We're just damn busy.

reply to post by intrepid


Its actually not what I said, but take it as you will.

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


No, it's not what you said. It was a rebuttal, the opposite of what you said actually but using logic.

reply to post by intrepid


Actually its not an argument against what I said, its an argument against what YOU said, also known as a straw man argument.

en.wikipedia.org...

A straw man is a component of an argument and is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position.[1] To "attack a straw man" is to create the illusion of having refuted a proposition by substituting it with a superficially similar yet unequivalent proposition (the "straw man"), and refuting it, without ever having actually refuted the original position.

And its a logical fallacy, for the record.

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


A strawman? Do you know what that actually means, or just a lame debate tactic. Here's some more logic for you to make my point:

New member accounts: Past 24 hours: 117
New member accounts: Past 7 days: 791
New member accounts: Past 30 days: 3,978

From the Stats function at the bottom of the page. Like I said, we're getting busier. That's all.

Edit to add: I see that you don't know what a strawman is by your edit.

Reply to post by intrepid

well you are right, but also all of us were new members at one point. and no
matter how much one has lurked, when registered it always takes some time to understand and get aquainted with some ats's features.

some "new" members though do display a knowledge of features, cliches and routines on ats that one only gets after a period of actual membership.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander
If ATS wants to allow multiple accounts its their right. However, I do think its disingenuous of them to allow it, and then pretend that its all just paranoia on the part of the membership when people get suspicious that there are people using multiple accounts. It makes absolutely no sense to both allow multiple accounts and deny that people are using multiple accounts, when people are flat out admitting they do.

It's more that there's no way to prevent it. Web servers can only track IPs, they can't track actual people....

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander
If ATS wants to allow multiple accounts its their right. However, I do think its disingenuous of them to allow it, and then pretend that its all just paranoia on the part of the membership when people get suspicious that there are people using multiple accounts. It makes absolutely no sense to both allow multiple accounts and deny that people are using multiple accounts, when people are flat out admitting they do.

Who is pretending that it's paranoia? Is there a staff generated thread that states it? Is there a post?

Multiple accounts exist on ATS.

Some members abuse their multiple accounts.

When we discover or are alerted to the aforementioned abuse, the member(s) suffer the consequences and the account(s) are terminated.

Some accounts that are thought to be a second or multiple account, are actually a unique and separate account.

Some second accounts contribute in a positive manner because they are used in a distinct and unrelated manner.

At no time does the staff or ownership advocate, support, or encourage the use of a second account; we merely acknowledge that they exist, and deal with those used for nefarious purposes with extreme prejudice... The benign and unnoticed ones are exactly that... Benign and unnoticed...

I don't think I could be any more clear about the issue.

Reply to post by cupocoffee

on that note, im unsure of this but does ats allow for browsing and posting via proxies?


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by intrepid


You are embarassing yourself.

I know exactly what it means. In this case, it means to keep mooing about how "more stars is associated with more member, here look at all the new members" when I did not argue originally that what I found strange was "more stars."

Originally posted by AnotherYOU
some "new" members though do display a knowledge of features, cliches and routines on ats that one only gets after a period of actual membership.

In the vast majority of these cases it is more likely to be a returning banned member, vice a second account. Sometimes it's a member with an old account that they can't retrieve a password, or even someone who wants to start over for whatever reason (yes, that really does happen).

Not all returning banned members are persona non grata...

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander
reply to post by intrepid

 

You are embarassing yourself.

I know exactly what it means. In this case, it means to keep mooing about how "more stars is associated with more member, here look at all the new members" when I did not argue originally that what I found strange was "more stars."

Really? Let's check then:

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander

Im glad you posted that. I think a lot of people are suspecting something is different lately in terms of multiple accounts, strange starring and flagging occurrences that dont seem like the norm, sock puppetry, etc. I know I have lately noticed weirdness that makes me go "hmmmm." I actually do not have a paranoid personality, but I do have the sort of personality that notices changes in pattern.

You're right. I'm SOOOO embarrassed.