Wikipedia:Doppelganger account

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[edit] Impersonation on Wikipedia

Impersonation is a form of vandalism on Wikipedia where an impostor attempts to impersonate one or more established editors. Some impostors desire to "steal" another editor's credibility for their own purpose; other impostors seek to discredit upstanding users.

Impersonation on Wikipedia is taken very seriously because:

  1. it undermines the trustworthiness of established contributors to Wikipedia
  2. it is a malicious act which aims to diminish a contributor's credibility
  3. it diverts the efforts of dedicated volunteers to handle unnecessary parasitic disruptiveness
  4. it is contrary to the aims of Wikipedia to be transparent and accountable for one's actions

The consequences of engaging in impersonating behaviour on Wikipedia is not necessarily limited to the list above. As these consequences are viewed as counterproductive, some Wikipedians have taken the initiative to formulate guidelines to pre-emptively deal with impersonation. These methods are elaborated further in the sections below.

[edit] Methods of impersonation

For example, a particularly daring vandal might opt to impersonate Jimbo Wales:

  • The easiest method of impersonation is to add fake signatures to comments. [[User:FakeUser|Jimbo Wales]] becomes Jimbo Wales; [[User:Jimbo_Wales|Jimbo Wales]] becomes Jimbo Wales
  • More artful vandals register accounts under names similar to those of the genuine editor. These accounts are called impostor accounts. By changing the lowercase L ("l") to a capital i ("I"), one creates the user: Jimbo WaIes. Also, beware of Cyrillic and Greek characters, as many look identical to normal ones. An easy way to tell the difference is to go to the impersonator's user page and check the URL for anything suspicious (weird characters, % sign, etc.). To enhance the illusion, some impostors will "steal" a copy of the User/Talk pages from the "real" user and in some cases steal a user page from one user and a talk page from another, or perhaps redirect their user and talk pages to those of the legitimate user.

Both of these methods can be detected by other users. Many administrators use different "skins" so that these "letter switches" are obvious; in addition, the difference is obvious when editing the page. However, the impostor may not be detected until significant damage is done.

Any impostor account may be blocked on sight by any administrator. If there is concern that the impostor is a legitimate new user, the account should be blocked and a note left on the user page directing the new user to select a new user name. When an account is blocked as an impostor, Template:indefblockeduser (syntax {{indefblockeduser}}) should be inserted on the impostor account's User/Talk pages.

[edit] Enter the doppelganger

Impersonation has become an increasing problem, especially with the arrival of vandals who do this systematically. In order to avoid being impersonated, many editors have opted for a "pre-emptive strike": creation of one or more accounts in the style of an impostor, in order to prevent a real impostor from doing so later. These accounts are called doppelganger accounts, and are not intended for editing Wikipedia! Doppelganger accounts are an act of self-defence. In the Jimbo Wales example above, User:Jimbo WaIes is a doppelganger.

[edit] How to create your own doppelganger

  1. First, develop a list of possible "imposter accounts."
  2. Create an account under the each of the doppelganger names. Make sure to use a difficult-to-guess password.
  3. Once the account has been created, log out of the doppelganger account.
  4. Log in under your "real" user name. It is essential that the last step be completed under your real user name.
  5. Add the doppelganger template to the doppelganger account's User and Talk page. (See "The doppelganger template" below for instructions on using the template.)

Since the implementation of bugzilla:2290, accounts similar to existing ones can only be created by administrators. If you can't create an account because it's too similar to yours, nobody else (apart from adminstrators) can; since such an account cannot be used for impersonation, there is no need to create it as a doppleganger.

[edit] Editing with a doppelganger account

The doppelganger should never be used for editing Wikipedia. Other users might mistake the doppelganger for a real impostor, or a sockpuppet account.

Administrators may immediately block any doppelganger account that appears to have been breached; the administrator responsible for the block must leave a note on the "real" user's page to let them know that their doppelganger appears to have been breached and has been blocked. As many editors do not want their Doppelganger accounts blocked and since properly functioning Doppelgangers pose no threat to the wiki, doppelganger accounts that appear to be operating normally should not be blocked without consulting the "owner". If your doppelganger is blocked, request that the block be removed by the administrator who placed it. Using the doppelganger template is essential to preventing your properly functioning doppelganger from being blocked!

[edit] The doppelganger template

This is the doppelganger template:

 This account (Doppelganger_account) is a doppelganger account, created by Real User Name, an established user, to prevent impersonation by vandals. Please see the talk page for relevant discussion.

Administrators - Please notify Real User Name when taking any action on this account.

Use the syntax {{Doppelganger|Real User Name}} It is important that you use your real account's name for Real User Name. Your real account name will be inserted in the template (as shown above) so that anyone requiring information about your doppelganger is able to reach you.

Note: Because impostors may find the doppelganger template and attempt to use it to avoid being detected, it is important that you add the template from your real account. By using your "real" account, the page history will reflect that the doppelganger is legitimate.

It is also important that the template be placed on both the User and Talk pages. Users may not check both pages before reporting or blocking the suspected impostor/sockpuppet; placing the template on both pages ensures the account will be recognized as a doppelganger.

Editing or removal of the {{doppelganger}} tag from User/Talk pages should be treated as vandalism and reverted on sight.

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