Wikipedia:Conflict of interest/Noticeboard

Welcome to Conflict of interest Noticeboard (COIN)
Sections older than 14 days archived by Lowercase sigmabot III. (For help, see Wikipedia:Purge) This Conflict of interest/Noticeboard (COIN) page is for determining whether a specific editor has a conflict of interest (COI) for a specific article and whether an edit by a COIN-declared COI editor meets a requirement of the Conflict of Interest guideline. A conflict of interest may occur when an editor has a close personal or business connection with article topics. Post here if you are concerned that an editor has a COI, and is using Wikipedia to promote their own interests at the expense of neutrality. For content disputes, try proposing changes at the article talk page first and otherwise follow the Wikipedia:Dispute resolution procedural policy.
You must notify any editor who is the subject of a discussion. You may use {{subst:coin-notice}} ~~~~ to do so.
Additional notes: This page should only be used when ordinary talk page discussion has been attempted and failed to resolve the issue, such as when an editor has repeatedly added problematic material over an extended period. Do not post personal information about other editors here without their permission. Non-public evidence of a conflict of interest can be emailed to paid-en-wpwikipedia.org for review by a functionary. If in doubt, you can contact an individual functionary or the Arbitration Committee privately for advice. The COI guideline does not absolutely prohibit people with a connection to a subject from editing articles on that subject. Editors who have such a connection can still comply with the COI guideline by discussing proposed article changes first, or by making uncontroversial edits. COI allegations should not be used as a "trump card" in disputes over article content. However, paid editing without disclosure is prohibited. Consider using the template series {{Uw-paid1}} through {{Uw-paid4}}. Your report or advice request regarding COI incidents should include diff links and focus on one or more items in the COI guideline. In response, COIN may determine whether a specific editor has a COI for a specific article. There are three possible outcomes to your COIN request: 1. COIN consensus determines that an editor has a COI for a specific article. In response, the relevant article talk pages may be tagged with {{Connected contributor}}, the article page may be tagged with {{COI}}, and/or the user may be warned via {{subst:uw-coi|Article}}. 2. COIN consensus determines that an editor does not have a COI for a specific article. In response, editors should refrain from further accusing that editor of having a conflict of interest. Feel free to repost at COIN if additional COI evidence comes to light that was not previously addressed. 3. There is no COIN consensus. Here, Lowercase sigmabot III will automatically archive the thread when it is older than 14 days. Once COIN declares that an editor has a COI for a specific article, COIN (or a variety of other noticeboards) may be used to determine whether an edit by a COIN-declared COI editor meets a requirement of the Wikipedia:Conflict of interest guideline.
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Category:Wikipedia conflict of interest edit requests is where COI editors have placed the {{edit COI}} template: Wikipedia conflict of interest edit requests Talk:Kati Agócs Talk:Roy Bahat Talk:Marc Benioff Talk:Breyers Talk:Michael Calvey Talk:Dahua Technology Talk:Nina L. Diaz Talk:Daniel Diermeier Talk:Dixy Chicken Talk:Earth Journalism Network Talk:Mary Baker Eddy Talk:Edge Hill University Talk:Ex Libris Group Talk:Far East Organization Talk:Global Citizen Awards Talk:GoDigital Media Group Talk:Human Appeal Talk:Index Ventures Talk:Sultan Al Jaber Talk:Elham Kashefi Talk:Jeffrey Katzenberg Talk:A. Gary Klesch Talk:Karl Lagerfeld Talk:Lally School of Management Talk:LD (cigarette) Talk:Kewsong Lee Talk:Dafna Lemish Talk:Library of Congress Subject Headings Talk:Masdar Talk:MoneyWeek Talk:Netvibes Talk:Neuroscience Research Australia Talk:Dana G. Peleg Talk:Perkins Eastman Talk:Poster House Talk:Joely Proudfit Talk:Shlomo Rakib Talk:Ranker Talk:Eric Rubin Talk:Science Inc. Talk:Seagull Trust Cruises Talk:Dragan Šolak (businessman) Talk:Spotfire Talk:A. G. Sulzberger Talk:Steve Tappin Talk:Tenants and Owners Development Corporation Talk:Tencent Talk:Theatre Development Fund Talk:Topps Talk:UK Biobank Talk:Carla Ulbrich Talk:United States Postal Service Talk:UnitedHealth Group Talk:Dashun Wang Talk:Mark Weisbrot Talk:Yahoo Finance Talk:Zerodur Talk:Zions Bancorporation

Bob Fink (history|Watchlist this article|unwatch) [watchlist?]

Bob Fink (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) - this and other articles on/by this Canadian musicologist need external review of notability and content. They were created by, and have continuing edits from, 65.255.255.* addresses [1], which correspond to Bob Fink and his publisher. This same IP range edits extensively to raise Fink's profile by self-links in a walled garden an interlinked set of various musicology articles, with continuing refusal to abide by WP:COI and WP:Autobiography guidelines. Admin attention over the COI would be particularly appreciated. // 82.25.234.106 15:39, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Walled garden? Where? MER-C 06:43, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Here are the facts: I have not refused to abide by Wiki rules. 1. The page written in my Wiki bio was written by User:Victoriagirl, and one of us wrote in to her: "Good job" at the time, even though what was originally written there over a year ago (based on my publisher's webpage bios --as we didn't know any Wiki rules), was completely scratched by her. We thought that was ok.

2. Despite some disagreements, I immediately seized upon Craig Stuntz' offer to rewrite Divje_Babe entirely (see Talk:Divje_Babe) and I instantly agreed he should go ahead (8 hours before User:Rainwarrior did, who I believe is asking for this watch). That's "refusal" to abide by rules? Rainwarrior even placed, out of chronological order, a comment that he, too, agreed with Craig's proposal, putting it ahead of my agreement made 8 hours earlier than his. If one didn't read the time-date, it could appear that I was a "me-too" succumbing to a "band-wagon" preceeded by Rainwarrior and Craig. Rainwarrior at other times similarly moved around his replies out of time. This is not the first.

Virtually All Rainwarrior's recent edits and activity for many weeks has been especially targeting me (see his user tasks pages targeted on me), slandering me, without any grounds offered. Like the other pages which have material about ancient and prehistoric music (written long ago, and not by me), they will show that the edits (I dare Rainwarrior to quote them all in full) rarely have my name in them, and only sometimes are my webpages (but usually quoting material by other authors). How on earth does that "promote" my "profile"? This all is evidence and fact that Rainwarrior knows or has read time and again, but ignores because it doesn't suit his corrupt campaign against me. -- Bob Fink Greenwyk 05:20, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

WIKI COI: 1. "You may cite your own publications just as you'd cite anyone else's, but make sure your material is relevant and that you're regarded as a reliable source for the purposes of Wikipedia. Be cautious about excessive citation of your own work, which may be seen as promotional or a conflict of interest." This shows that total silence is not what the rules prescribe from involved scholars as Rainwarrior seems to believe. Please "unwatch" me as I am playing by the rules. We also have offered to replace any and all edits, if irrelevant, made long ago, which possibly violate rules didn't then know. Maybe Rainwarrior needs watching?

Primerica Financial Services (history|Watchlist this article|unwatch) [watchlist?]

• Primerica Financial Services (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

This article is apparently supervised by company employees. It has been edited by a company IP (12.163.2.10 (talk · contribs)), by a SPA who named himself for the company (until made to change), and even by someone claiming to be the company's representative. They've repeatedly removed even the mildest criticisms of the company. -Will Beback · † · 09:18, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

You should have blocked the SPA because of a commercial/trademarked username. As long as the criticisms are sourced, they should be reverted and warned with {{test1a}}, etc. MER-C 09:49, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Panther (computer game) (history|Watchlist this article|unwatch) [watchlist?]

• Wgungfu (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) - User repeatedly removed any mention of Battlezone, a video game probably inspired by Panther (although the article does not assert this); he has even removed See also links. Edit summary of removal of See also link: "RV due to speculation comes from the claimed relationship of Bzone being a copy of Panther, which is speculative at best"; no such claim was made in the article. Likewise, has repeatedly removed or muted mention of Panther from the Battlezone page. User page suggests close links to Atari. Has said on Talk:Battlezone that he sides with Atari POV that "Factually, there is no direct link between Panther and Battelzone." (sic) // ProhibitOnions ^(T) 12:06, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Delicious Vinyl (history|Watchlist this article|unwatch) [watchlist?]

I'm not sure that this should go here or on the general board. I received an email to my Wikipedia account stating

thank you for your help on The Pharcyde's page on Wikipedia. We are really looking for some that knows Wikipedia editing well to make more overdue Wikipedia enteries for our record labels' artists. of course, we are not talking about any illicit 'marketing' messaging, only justifiable quality entries. If you have some feelings or suggestions on this please email me (name and email from Delicious Vinyl)

Delicious Vinyl is behind such classics as Tone Lōc's Wild Thing and Young MC's Bust A Move, if anyone else is a fan of late 80s hiphop. Any thoughts? - BanyanTree 16:21, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

I wouldn't do anything right now. No article, no conflict of interest problems. As for notability, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. MER-C 01:46, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Lyndon LaRouche (history|Watchlist this article|unwatch) [watchlist?]

Dennis King, who edits Wikipedia as Dking (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log), has made over 50 edits to this article in the past three days. He was the author of a hostile biography of LaRouche back in the 1980s, and his edits are very problematic from the standpoint of WP:COI#Citing_oneself. --Tsunami Butler 09:51, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

The general case has already been resolved in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_arbitration/Lyndon_LaRouche and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_arbitration/Lyndon_LaRouche_2 Dennis King is a respected and published author on LaRouche. Why is Tsunami Butler publishing on every possible noticeboard then? Because Tsunami Butler is simply another LaRouche follower who is attempting to whitewash negative facts about LaRouche. Please be cautious in reading any claim of Tsunami Butler because many of them are simply incorrect. Mgunn 22:55, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

Georgetown University (history|Watchlist this article|unwatch) [watchlist?] and related pages

The IP user 68.98.161.246 has made more than 300 edits, all of which relate to Georgetown University and Georgetown's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in a positive nature. I think the IP should be checked to see if it comes from the university. For example, there has been a discussion at the School of Foreign Service article about academic boosterism by the user. Here are their contributions: Special:Contributions/68.98.161.246. Another similar IP user has made similar boosteristic edits, Special:Contributions/68.49.15.185. Thanks --AW 07:20, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

 Likely I did the whois on both IPs. Neither resolved to the university itself, but rather the surrounding urban area, Arlington and Vienna to be precise. It's consistent with a student/employee editing from home. MER-C 07:33, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

Added a {{primarysources}} to that article. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 19:05, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, but they are still doing that sort of thing to other articles. I've left them messages to see the Conflict of Interest policy but they haven't responded so far. --AW 05:05, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

Trainer (games) (history|Watchlist this article|unwatch) [watchlist?]

• Trainer (games) (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) - Dispute over external links. I recently removed all external links from this article as they all failed WP:EL. One link was for a site run by User:Apache-; he has stated that he will continue to put up these external links each time they are removed, dismissing WP:EL and WP:COI as 'vague and ambiguous'. // Marasmusine 16:23, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

How about WP:SPAM? And you're not alone, too, which is a good thing. Just looking at the history, User:Apache- might have violated 3RR as well. MER-C 03:16, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

XanGo (history|Watchlist this article|unwatch) [watchlist?]

• XanGo (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) and Mangosteen (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) - AnonIP trying to remove criticism of XanGo MLM (multi-level marketing scheme). See edits for User:67.128.38.100. He (she?) keeps removing all critical information, or trying to insert material favorable to the XanGo MLM scheme. I suspect, but cannot prove, that this person is a participant in the scheme. I don't know quite how to deal with this. I've reverted twice today and don't know if this would be considered a content dispute or vandalism, so I'm not sure I dare any more reverts. Zora 23:51, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

 Likely Geolocation puts the IP in Lehi, Utah. Guess where our little scheme is based? MER-C 03:13, 5 January 2007 (UTC)