Wikipedia:Long term abuse/HeadleyDown

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HeadleyDown
Original name(s):	Uncertain: EBlack, D.Right, and probably Agiantman and 24.147.97.230
Wikilifespan:	1st half 2005 - Present
ISP:	Various
Known IPs:	Any (uses IPs around the world)
Known hostmasks:	See intel
Physical location:	Believed Hong Kong or possibly UK
Severity:	High (virulent)
Requests for comment:	Probably same as Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Agiantman and Wikipedia:Requests for comment/24.147.97.230.
Requests for arbitration:	Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Neuro-linguistic programming (list of blocks in that article) and probably same as: Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Regarding Ted Kennedy
Instructions:	Block on sight Block on behavior (variable IP)

Vandalism
Dealing with vandalism
Obvious vandalism Requests for investigation Long term abuse Open proxies
Resources & assistance
Counter-vandalism tools Cleaning up vandalism Counter-vandalism unit IP WHOIS tools
Further information
AOL and dynamic proxies ISP contact information Don't provoke vandals v • d • e

HeadleyDown is the best known alias of a Wikipedia vandal who specializes in massive sneaky vandalism with multiple sock/meatpuppets (20 - 40 total, often 3 - 10 at a time), and devastates articles by long term damage, and driving away of bona fide editors. It is not always clear which editors are socks, and which are meats run by his associates.

HeadleyDown initially acts as the "sweet voice of a reasonable editor", claiming to have a scientific or neutral interest, seeking minor improvements, POV fixes, balance, or a legitimate "scientific/neutral" viewpoint in an otherwise not-bad article. However in practice long-term he is a virulent and destructive subtle POV warrior who ignores bona fide research (sometimes calling it "promotion") and gradually over time using multiple socks forces a massive POV slant until articles end up attacking their own subjects, or twisted to a very one-sided POV, rather than explaining them. This is claimed to be "more concise", "more scientific", "cited" or "more neutral". At times, he has forged cites and credentials, invented material, and deleted bona fide information, to do this. He is quite tenacious and persistent and tries to come back if blocked.

It is worth noting that Wikipedians lacking prior experience usually mistake HeadleyDown's socks as being good-faith editors, perhaps who don't quite understand 'personal attack', and treat his disputes as run-of-the-mill content/civility/3RR/NPOV issues. As a result his socks are very often given much good faith even by experienced editors, and only slightly chastised by Arbcom, which he uses to continue degrading the article and deterring genuine editorship for months on end.

The most obvious visible symptom is a combination of (1) an individual or clique of editors who say they are being helpful or neutral and following Wiki-process, adding valid cites and genuine info and removing unsupported statements etc, while the article somehow keeps getting more and more virulently extreme or unbalanced, and there is a feeling of despair that it's "just not going to get better". (2) Eventual vicious personal attacks on more neutral editors, especially alleging bias or pro-<subject>. (3) Suspicion of sock/meatpuppetry. There are many ways to confirm a HeadleyDown presence if suspected but these are not obvious to unfamiliar editors.

HeadleyDown has been classed as "block on behavior" by David Gerard, repeatedly confirmed by Mackensen. Because of his modus operandi the significant damage he does is not easy to unravel.

1 Modus operandi
2 Examples
3 Identification methods
4 Handling
5 History and past incarnations
6 Other notes
7 Known sock/meats
8 See also

[edit] Modus operandi

Operates under multiple IP's, often multiple socks at a time. Often claims initially to have helpful information and merely want to help with a few problems with the article. Plays the game with policies, especially WP:NPOV, cites, and demands for cites. Eventually turns to virulent personal attacks (alleging bias, promotion, covert support for topic X) to kill off any editors who might object to their actions. Appears to be within rules and yet somehow the article keeps getting more and more extreme, even as claiming to be "helping" it or making it "more neutral".

Often cites tangential or minor writers as if major or expert, whilst rubbishing deleting or ignoring genuine facts, attacks (often by playing WP:CITE) others who revert or correct the POV slants, and either gradually or viciously builds a case accusing those who try to include genuine facts or balance of being biased, and of working "against" the neutral editors or against policy.

Has forged cites or chosen selective interpretations, to support his edits. Long term aim is to turn articles into cynical travesties of themselves over time on the basis that this is "the real view", "neutral", "more scientific", "wikipedias view", or the like.

Has also attacked article contributors (eg mentor:Woohookitty: [1][2][3] and User:FT2 [4]), at times threatening editors with bans or other disciplinary procedures if they do not "work with neutral editors", discussing their "crimes", "vandalism" or "blatent bias", agreeing (between socks) they should be ignored etc. If accused of wrongdoing, will deny, and counteraccuse bias or bad faith. Sometimes he uses socks to support or argue with his other socks to "muddy the waters" or prevent rational discussion, or during RFC/RFArb.

Also likely to be long term: promised to leave neuro-linguistic programming but instead within a day or so came back as 3 or 4 new socks. When finally removed from there came back 6 days later under a new name on zoophilia. Simultaneous to NLP (which reached RFArb) was also subject of independent 2nd RFArb under other aliases on Ted Kennedy et al, and active on Stalin. After attacking NLP for months, started inserting equally spurious pro-NLP edits and views in multiple articles and talk pages in July 2006 (reverted by many editors). May be active elsewhere too. Seems to focus on only one (or a few) article at a time, but stick with them long term.

Finally, HeadleyDown often recruits meatpuppets as well as using socks: see this comment on RFC/24.147.97.230 for the Kennedy articles, and the RFArb for Neuro-linguistic_programming#Likely_source_of_visiting_users_identified on NLP, for two examples.

[edit] Examples

A new HeadleyDown sock acting as the "sweet voice of reason" on Paraphilia and Felony

[edit] Identification methods

There are a variety of strong evidences which rapidly help to identify a HeadleyDown reincarnation or sock. Please contact FT2 for details if suspected.

David Gerard advises IP variability is such that IP alone is not sufficient to detect. [5]

Mackensen confirmed on RFCU that suspected HeadleyDown socks should be blocked on behavioral evidence even if Checkuser is unhelpful. [6]

[edit] Handling

HeadleyDown's preference is to cause long term POV/NPA damage with extended chaos and dominate articles via his socks, so once he's firmly and dismissively called on it and editors stop being drawn into his sock-dramas (WP:DFTT), the article is no longer likely to be such good "entertainment fodder". So spotting him (ie "this could be HeadleyDown's work" as opposed to "just another typical POV/3RR/NPA editor") and blocking on sight solves much of it. Of necessity such blocks have to be "on suspicion and behavior", and if caught he will deny, deny, deny - and counteraccuse (play the game that not giving good faith to his edits shows extreme bias). If removed, watchlist the article for new socks in future and add suspected socks/meats to this page.

Examples of dismissals that worked: (1) dismissively letting him know he's spotted, (2) response to new meatpuppet why they can't edit despite claiming to be a different person.

[edit] History and past incarnations

HeadleyDown himself (via EBlack and D.Right) only goes back as far as early 2005. However it is likely from Talk:Neuro-linguistic programming and other RFC/RFArb posts that HeadleyDown was also Agiantman and 24.147.97.230, and examination of articles and disputes that user was in reveals that HeadleyDown had a parallel incarnation (including a large number of socks and anon IPs) simultaneous to his involvement on NLP, which were independently the subject of a second set of RFC's and ArbCom in 2005.

Main aliases	Alias used	Articles attacked
As twin sockpuppets EBlack and D.Right and also A.Warner	March - August 2005	Scientology, Electroencephalography and Neuro-linguistic programming
As Agiantman and many others, probably including 24.147.97.230	July - August 2005	Bill Clinton, Kathleen Willey, Dan Rather, Ted Kennedy, Stalin and other similar articles, and then Neuro-linguistic programming
As HeadleyDown and many others	August 2005 - June 2006 (blocked)	Neuro-linguistic programming (anti-NLP)
As JHartley and FFodor	July 2006 (one blocked, one not)	Zoophilia
As Mindstore	July 2006 (not blocked)	Neurolinguistics, Psychotherapy, Linguistics, Cognitive linguistics (pro-NLP)
As CSIvor	July 2006 (not blocked)	Zoophilia and Paraphilia, also various others (Canada, Criminal law Crime scene photography)
As RoKeMo	July 2006 (not blocked)	Psychology and ScienTOMogy
As 144.214.62.99	July 2006 (not blocked)	Personal attack sock

[edit] Other notes

Private email from HeadleyDown, 13 June 2006:

"Oh a lot of what I did on the article was for my own fun. I found it highly amusing to see you respond to my socks as if they were different people, and to real editors as if they were socks. And I got you to say some really stupid stuff. It really kept me going... sockpuppets are just too entertaining."

Comment by mentor Woohookitty after HeadleyDown blocked, when new socks started to show up (20 June 2006) [7]:

"Honestly, I think I'm done with NLP. My problem is that once we do this editing, someone will come by and make it awful again. It's just pointless. Too many meatpuppets. Too many socks. Just too much work for this old Wikipedia soul."

[edit] Known sock/meats

[edit] Used to attack Ted Kennedy and the like

Agiantman (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
24.147.97.230 (talk • contribs • WHOIS • RDNS • RBLs • block user • block log)
Ernestocgonzalez (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
FishingGuy99 (talk • contribs)
Labgal (talk • contribs) - possible meatpuppet
66.176.129.11 (talk • contribs • WHOIS • RDNS • RBLs • block user • block log) - confirmed to be same person as user:Agiantman

The first two of these editors were the subject of two RFC's and one RFArb for edits in connection with Ted Kennedy and other political articles, and had near-identical modus and timing to HeadleyDown. Again, there was other evidence tying them in, see user:FT2 for details. The 3rd is behaviorally confirmed. The last two are covered in the RFC on 24.147.97.230 and RFArb on Ted Kennedy.

[edit] Used to attack Neuro-linguistic programming and the like

A.Turner (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log) (older sock, identified retrospectively by edits, never blocked)
Addsquad (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
AliceDeGrey (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
AMaulden (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log) (older sock, never blocked)
Attack s0ck (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
Bookmain (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
BrightonRock101 (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
Camridge (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
D.Right (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log) (older sock, identified retrospectively by edits, never blocked)
DaveRight (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
DoctorDog (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log) (older sock, identified retrospectively by identical contrib history & editing style to EBlack/D.Right, never blocked)
EBlack (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log) (older sock, identified retrospectively by edits, never blocked)
Figleaf Riverdance (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
HansAntel (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
HeadleyDown (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
HongKongMasterofSci (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
JaseC (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log) (older sock, never blocked)
JPLogan (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
LemonMnM (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
MastaMan (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
Medius Maximus (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
Oblio Yu HK (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
RomanX (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log) (older sock, identified by other editors on talk page, never blocked)
Superkyewl (talk • contribs • logs • block user • block log)
80.189.81.19 (talk • contribs • WHOIS • RDNS • RBLs • block user • block log)
203.186.238.160 (talk • contribs • WHOIS • RDNS • RBLs • block user • block log) (forgot to log in, self admitted, HK IP, possible shared IP)
203.218.52.173 (talk • contribs • WHOIS • RDNS • RBLs • block user • block log) (older sock, identified by edits, HK IP, never blocked)

Meatpuppets or possible sockpuppets:

Helen Wu (talk • contribs) (blocked then given extra chance)
Flavius vanillus (talk • contribs) (indef blocked)
Hylas Chung (talk • contribs) (evidence, also active on psychology)
MonicaPignotti (talk • contribs) (meatpuppet, admitted)
62.25.106.209 (talk • contribs)
(shared IP, also reported for other vandalism, see user page and talk pages)