Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/MustafaO

MustafaO

MustafaO (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)

Populated account categories: confirmed

For archived investigations, see Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/MustafaO/Archive.

20 November 2020

– This SPI case is closed and will be archived shortly by an SPI clerk or checkuser.

Suspected sockpuppets

• MerseySide (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)

• Tools: Editor interaction utility • Interaction Timeline • User compare report Auto-generated every hour.

Appears to be a sleeper account being used for block evasion. Behavioural evidence:

• MerseySide was created on 21 July 2017 [1], and was inactive until 3 May 2020 [2], a week after sockmaster MustafaO was permanently blocked on 27 April 2020 [3]. This is Inline with activity patterns by other confirmed socks e.g.:

1. ChiefWanag, account created 10 June 2017 [4], and after a short burst of activity dormant until 3 April 2020 [5], (only 2 days after SPI initiated against MustafaO on 1 April 2020 [6]).
2. Cabdijimaale, account created 10 July 2017 [7], then dormant until 28 January 2020 [8].

• Near identical top edited pages. Of MerseySide's top 10 edited articles[9], all ten appear in MustafaO's top edited article's list [10], these are: (Gadabursi, Zeila, Harar, Awdal, Zeila District, Zeila and Lughaya, Gurgura, Awbare, Awbube and Harirad).

• Identical idiosyncratic insertion of dates in edit summaries as well as use of "fixed" wording: e.g. MustafaO [11], MerseySide [12], also MustafaO [13], MerseySide [14] [... etc etc].

• Identical pushing of Somalia maps in Somaliland articles: MustafaO e.g. [15], [16], MerseySide e.g. [17], [18].

• Awareness of niche articles of interest to sock master MustafaO, e.g:

1. Awbare with a daily average views of 2, has sockmaster MustafaO, MerseySide and confirmed sock Aqooni in its top 5 editors' list [19]
2. Awbube, another niche article with under 1 pageviews per day and created by sockmaster MustafaO has sockmaster MustafaO, confirmed sock ChiefWanag and MerseySide as its top 3 authors [20].

• Restoring files originally added by sockmaster MustafaO. MerseySide [21], MustafaO [22].

This is a textbook WP:DUCK in my opinion. They are probably attempting evasion of technical scrutiny so please consider behaviour evidence presented. Best regards --Kzl55 (talk) 22:52, 20 November 2020 (UTC) Kzl55 (talk) 22:52, 20 November 2020 (UTC)

Comments by other users

Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.

Notifying @TomStar81: as the editor who started this SPI file. Please feel free to add your opinion or any other findings if I've missed anything. Best regards --Kzl55 (talk) 22:55, 20 November 2020 (UTC)

• @Kzl55: Could be. Dating in the edit summary is a new thing though, we've never seen that before. A check through the cheat sheet suggests that this could also be either Mazi99, Sccsiciidafrica, or Siciid Cabdi Cismaan (Siciid Africa), all three show some similarities with this case. Of particular note here is that the account seemed almost exclusively concerned with editing its sandbox until September for some reason, and that the sandbox concerns an italian period for the Somalia area, which matches a fourth potential case, Brunodam. Also of interest is that the account appears to have changed behavior radically in September 2020, starting with a name change, which is new here. TomStar81 (Talk) 00:19, 21 November 2020 (UTC)
• @TomStar81: I have had a look through Toltol15 and I am in agreement with yourself and @Zzuuzz: that its a sock. Please find behavioural evidence below (also pinging @GeneralNotability:):

• Identical behaviour on Commons, namely uploading of old photographs of Horn of Africa tribal people: Toltol14 [23], Middayexpress [24], Soupforone (confirmed sock) [25], [26].

• One of their first edits was on Gabra people [27], this article has confirmed sock Soupforone as the top authorship editor [28], Middayexpress is no. 7th.

• Their 9th article edit was on Land of Punt [29], this one has both Middayexpress and sock Arboleh as 8th and 9th top editors respectively [30]. There are many other examples of such overlap in the Somali project.

• Northeast Africa has Toltol15 and confirmed sock Arboleh as 1st and 2nd in authorship, with Middayexpress ranking 4th [31].

• Away from Horn of Africa topics, they show identical interest in DNA related articles as Tomstar identified e.g. [32], the 2nd top editor on this article is Soupforone [33].

• Interest in Maghrib-related articles e.g. Tassili n'Ajjer [34], confirmed sock Soupforone is no. 8th top editor on this article [35].

Seems like another WP:DUCK. Best regards --Kzl55 (talk) 22:48, 21 November 2020 (UTC)

@TomStar81: I wanted to say that Geeljire is a Somali word that means Camel Herder or nomad. It's rather generic and this banned user User:Geeljire having a similar name to my own doesn't imply any connection. This account is the only one I've ever had on Wikipedia and I am not a sock puppet of any kind. If the name similarity was what raised concern then I hope this clears things up. WanderingGeeljire (Talk) 1:03, 22 November 2020 (UTC)

Clerk, CheckUser, and/or patrolling admin comments

• Had a look elsewhere and found User:WanderingGeeljire, which I am laying odds on is a sock of User:Geeljire, which is presently blocked as he is a known sock in the Middayexpress farm. Additionally, a combative Somalia/Somaliland editor currently at WP:ANI under the header Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Incidents#Persistent_disruptive_edits_by_USER:Toltol15_to_Sub-Saharan_Africa,_ignored_previous_ANI_report,_still_ignoring_explanations_and_warnings, User:Toltol15, should be check as well, s/he's got edits to the page Haplogroup CT, which includes Haplogroup T-M184, a know area of interest for the socks insofar as proving who is genetically part of what group is Somalia, and the edit summaries for the account are similar enough that I feel a check is justified. In particular, I call attention to this edit in which the account readds a map from an already blocked MustafO account ChiefWanag, and the fact that most of their early editing shows that they hit the ground running suggesting they already had a working familiarity with the site. TomStar81 (Talk) 00:52, 21 November 2020 (UTC)
• MerseySide is  Confirmed to MustafaO. Meanwhile, Toltol15 is technically {{suspicious}}, and specifically, there's a lot of relatively unusual technical overlap with Middayexpress. It's not possible to say if these two farms are technically connected. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 18:51, 21 November 2020 (UTC)
•  Clerk note: MerseySide  Blocked and tagged. Zzuuzz, how strong would you say the link is between Toltol15 and Middayexpress? The notes in the latter's SPI archive indicate that these two groups have very similar POV but seem to be distinct. GeneralNotability (talk) 20:54, 21 November 2020 (UTC)

  I'm arriving at this SPI, and in this topic area, for the first time, so bear with me. For the sake of clarity, I have found no technical connection between Toltol15 and MustafaO. That is to say, it's inconclusive. When it comes to Toltol15 and Middayexpress, the technical evidence is quite unusual, but not completely conclusive. Quite unusual in fact, and relatively persuasive. Likewise the interaction (analyzer) is persuasive. If I had found them making the same POV (something I'm still getting to grips with), I'd have probably blocked them already (and they should probably be blocked anyway for just looking suspicious). I'm aware that these two SPIs were split back in April, and I'm in no position to say that was incorrect or really make any comment about it. However, I'm also aware that it is claimed that Middayexpress uses VPNs, which might confuse things, so I'm open minded. Hopefully that's clarified my understanding. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 21:39, 21 November 2020 (UTC)

• I reviewed Totol15, and they have a strong overlap with Middayexpress in articles edited but a few things give me pause. One big issue I see is that Totol removed some commentary that previous sock Soupforone added. I'm feeling like this may be yet another editor with opinions about the Somali people and Horn of Africa (possibly one who knows Mustafa and/or Middayexpress...the archives indicate that there is a forum or something that these folks frequent, if I'm reading it right). If they're being problematic (POV-pushing, edit-warring, whatever) I recommend just blocking them on those grounds. The Middayexpress archives note that this is also an area with a lot of people with strong nationalistic viewpoints who are not necessarily related. I'm not certain enough to block Totol as a sock of either MustafaO or MiddayExpress, and as such am closing this without further action. GeneralNotability (talk) 01:19, 22 November 2020 (UTC)

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24 November 2020

– This SPI case is open.

Suspected sockpuppets

• Ayaltimo (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Ragnimo (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · spi block · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)

• Tools: Editor interaction utility • Interaction Timeline • User compare report Auto-generated every hour.

Aside from the obvious usage of "imo" in both their names, these users are assisting each other edit war [36] [37] on Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Kawneyn. The sock of MustafaO, Aqooni had vigorously sought a one sided POV that both Ragnimo/Ayaltimo support now [38]. On the Zeila article Ragnimo restored a MustafO edit thats essentially original research [39] [40].

Ayaltimo's first ever edit includes socking in the edit summary, how would the user know about socking so early in their editing on wikipedia? [41]

Both Ragnimo and Ayaltimo exhibit the same Dir (clan) clan point of view held by Aqooni sock of MustafaO, they believe all people and towns were only Dir and oppose multiple editors who even question this despite having clear sources indicated otherwise. [42] [43] [44].

MustafaO/Aqooni were the root cause of pushing the Dir claims using wp:synth. [45]. When I asked MustafaO for verifiable sources he simply ignored it however Ragnimo responds a year later. [46]

These editors are disruptive as they're removing content on multiple pages [47] [48] Magherbin (talk) 02:46, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

Comments by other users

Accused parties may also comment/discuss in this section below. See Defending yourself against claims.

This seems to be a common pattern to launch an investigation on Somali editors who dare voice their opinions and surely if you check our timecards we've edited at the same time before. Just because we have "imo" in our names doesn't indicate anything. Ragnimo and Timo are two different Somali words just to end the confusion. This is another way for him/her to silence editors that don't agree with his agenda by launching an investigation on two individuals in the talk-pages, with the lack of sufficient evidence is a strong sign that he/she rather silence the consensus than engage in good-faith discussion.

If anyone is causing disruptive editing it's @Magherbin who repeatedly removed a neutral POV section that accepted his source but couldn't accept the references that criticize his source and decided to revert more than four times which goes against the Wiki guidelines as you can see: [49] As for the Afar page I've asked him a few times and even pinged him in the talk page to discuss but he wasn't haven't it and engaged in edit warring while he was already clashing with @Ragnimo. He has yet to reply on the Afar talk page: [50] Final one to defend myself for Barbaria edits. Here is another reason why the user is being very dishonest and trying to silence the consensus. What I removed on that page did not relate to Ragnimo's edits because Ragnimo was removing the Monumentum Adulitanum theory as you can see: [51], while I was simply removing vandalism from a suspected sock puppet from Hamza678yu [52] who never mentioned the Monumentum Adulitanum theory. I also have a small history with that user who I believe, is linked with Lampard1234 (banned) and TBftf (a new account after Lampard got banned). This one is a new account but his previous accounts had a relationship with this user. See here: [53].

Relating to my first edit. I came across reading the Harari page and saw some ridiculous claims and quickly signed up. I learned about the wiki guidelines first [54] before I could remove anything. I then started looking for the editor who added these claims so I can engage in a discussion with him/her on the talk page but I realized the user was banned and if you click the user's page it suggests he/she was abusing multiple accounts as you can see: [55]

However, I find it amusing that @Magherbin would start an investigation of sock puppetting when he/she shows clear signs of being one of ‎@Lokiszm7 sock puppets since they both pretty much edit the same pages. One time I removed one of Lokiszm7 edits on the Harari page: [56] and Magherbin decides to reinstall his edits back. [57]

Lokiszm7 was one of the big contributors of Harari [58] and when he was banned Magherbin showed up and continued expanding the page [59] The same thing in the Arsi Oromo page [60] and the Imamate of Aussa [61]. They're always on the same pages and here are more examples: [62], [63] and for Harar here is Lokis doing many contributions: [64] then here is Magherbin doing the same big contribution: [65].

Both Lokiszm7 and Magherbin represent as one of the biggest contributors of Harari-related pages and heavily contribute to the same exact pages. It's only after when Lokiszm7 was banned that's when Magherbin showed up. Whenever somebody removes Lokiszm7 edits Magherbin always reverts them back. It's all very suspicious.

I would like an investigation to be done on those two users as they may be the same person since the evidences are very compelling. Ayaltimo (talk) 03:29, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

First and foremost Ragnimo/Raganimo is a common Somali phrase meaning manlyness(Google it). Has nothing to do with the usernick Ayaltimo. Imo is not even a word or anything. Pathetic attempt at forcing a connection.

And How is it onesided POV? I explained that i created a balanced POV in the Talk page.[66] What appeared to me is that Magherbin sought to include the Arabian origin and make it seem like it's disputed when it ain't. You also used a source leaving out a chunk of the context and additional info around it. It's clearly a myth as explained by the authors. There is an oral origin story and that oral origin story is regarded as a myth. Thats how it follows. He refrences a book which he clearly didn't even read but nitpicked and he deliberately misintreprets to try and fit his angle. and he is has a long history of disrupting edits on Aw Barkhadle and edit warring with other editors around [67].

As for my Zeila edits, i have been a long time reader of Zeila and Mogadishu related pages and consequently signed up upon seeing disruptive edits and started editing and including additional sources forthem and info to progress them. These are two prominent cities and as such need to have correct sourced info on them. I reverted an edit after reading the talk pages and edit histories that he removed them on the basis that he think its Morrocan berbers and the source was from Ibn Battuta. Completely unrelated to Aqooni/Mostafa most of our edits don't even coincide and i have not edited any Dir related pages but felt the need to clarify that Dir are the taditional inhabitants of the city of Zeila like most of the common sources say whch he tried to remove in spite of that and It's an old edit put in place and has stayed on that page for a long time.

Magherbin has been making disruptive edits and made baseless claims. Like Somalis being Morrocan berbers or they were there before Somalis.[68]. Now because he is contested on it instead of defending his edits and responding back to us in the talk pages he launches false sockpuppet investigation on that simple basis in an attempt to shut editors down. He also likes to sends edit warnings to peoples talk pages to get them to stop restoring edits he takes out without explaining. He did the same to me on the Zeila talk page and took out edit that was sourced without even explaining it on the talk page how they were original research.[69]. As you can see i was also the only one who put forward a compromize to turn away from edit warring. And you can even see from the Talk page discussion he is editing under the intent that he believes Dark Skinned Moroccan people were living in Zeila and Somali coast throughout. Something no source or evidence ,scholarship or even anything supports or states , it's completely baseless. Which i have explained to him over & over and then again on a different talk page with Encyclopedic sources [70] to clear out any confusion. Ayaltimo likewise explained the same on the Yusuf talk page with another source. Yet it's ironic how he talks about Original research. He took out a source he didn't even investigate and mentions Ibn Battuta even though the source refrenced is not from him but from Futah Al-Habasha and you can see me point it out on the Zeila talk page.

His edits seem to have a specific ethnonationalist agenda behind it as pointed out by previous editors and these disruptive edits usually always associated with edits surrounding Adal, Zeila, Harrar and Somali figures related to such. Which Ayaltimo has shown above. You don't try to impose this disruptive editing or injection of Moroccan berber/Arab editing on Southern Somali sultanates or Islamic figures, which you appear to show little to no interest in. He also doesn't add this to the afromentioned Harrar/Harrari/Harla, Afar, oromo or related pages he edits. But includes weak sources/non-peer reviewed or add sources that don't mention what he writes down on those pages. He also shows no interest/engangement to the explanations or reliable sources given by other editors on the talk pages. Cheif sign that he is being deliberately disruptive. Also one of his confirmed alts are named BetaAmhara , confirms his Amhara/Ethiopian relation borrowed from the name Bete Amhara and that shows he has a specific ethiopian nationalist POV/motives which is most likely his reason behind these disruptive edits on Somali related pages. His Ethiopian based edits shared with his other alt Lokiszm7:[71] also shows it doing the same.

I agree with Ayaltimo it's Magherbin who instead need to be investigated for the possibility of being a disruptive sock. Ragnimo (talk) 07:10, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

I think Somali editors part of the WikiProject Somalia need to contact one of the Noticeboards, because this is clearly 'racial-profiling' on steriods. There is not a single active Somali editor that hasn't been accused of being a Sock-puppet. We shouldn't allow this to continue any further. Also, @Ayaltimo, I know you don't mean any harm but your 'comment' is quite similar to my comment in my own false Sock-puppet investigation[72]. I point this out because one of their silencing tactics is behavior analysis as a justification for a ban, hence you shouldn't directly take my words as your own. If Magherbin is really Lokiszm7 start a new investigation. --GoldenDragonHorn (talk) 17:33, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

BTW, don't let these false investigations discourage you guys from being bold and edit any article you feel needs your attention. That is your right. --GoldenDragonHorn (talk) 17:57, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

@GoldenDragonHorn your comment related to me because I was going through the same thing as you and truthfully speaking it seems to be a common thing to accuse Somali editors who follow a general view of being behind a sock. I didn't copy it but changed it into my own comment but I apologize if you felt wronged by it. I will launch an investigation on Magherbin and build a case for his sock puppetting habits. Regards Ayaltimo (talk) 18:00, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

No, no. Not offended at all. I agree with you 100%. Its just that 'behavior analysis' is frequently used to block a person, so I had to point it out. --GoldenDragonHorn (talk) 18:07, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

I will keep that noted, thanks for letting me know. I knew about the analysis behaviour but not to that extent which is why I changed it into my own comment but I guess you can't do that and to reply to your previous comment I am not discouraged at all. The ridiculous investigation he launched only motivated me to keep working on articles that need further attention. Ayaltimo (talk) 18:33, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

BTW, I had a look at the thread linking back to Lokiszm7's blocked account by an admin, and Magherbin was indeed confirmed to be part of Lokiszm7's sock-puppet farm, along with Kikolio and Betamhara[73], all whom were confirmed to each-other and blocked. It seems the admin blocked him for six months and he was then given amnesty[74], though why a repeat-offender like Lokiszm7 with 4 accounts has been allowed to return under the confirmed sock Magherbin is very strange, considering there are entire threads about repeat-offending Somali editors, who promised to change, but were denied amnesty or blocked on sight. In any case, you guys should feel vindicated. Most of these investigations are started by actual sock-masters, and because they're doing it, in their minds, everyone else must be doing it too. --GoldenDragonHorn (talk) 01:13, 25 November 2020 (UTC)

• @Ragnimo, Ayaltimo, GoldenDragonHorn, and WonderingGeljire: What you need to understand is that its nothing personal, this is strictly business: we have had a lot of disruptive editing from two separate long term, highly prolific sock farms on sight whose goal was to advance a very once sided version of the history of ethnicity and so forth of the Horn of Africa region. Because the community has no regard for the disruption and therefore refuses to give us adequate tools to address this in a regional sense, we are left with the difficult task of attempting to discern whose accounts may be link to the farm based on behavioral and technical evidence. As a result, this tactic amount to carpet bombing and tends to catch a lot of unrelated accounts - some of them repeated, as AcidSnow (talk · contribs) can attest to. In each of your cases, the oncoming edits, the tempo, the tone, and the fact that each of you appear to know each other suggests to those familiar with the cases that you are acting in unison and may be one and the same person, which is why you keep ending up here. The best advice I can offer you to shake this off is to divest some editing into other Wikipedia areas and play friendly, as those two tactics general serve to disarm folks like us who through a rough road have become at times overly paranoid about editors and their intentions. TomStar81 (Talk) 15:45, 25 November 2020 (UTC)
• Agreed. It is also worth noting that GoldenDragonHorn joined the discussion as soon as Ragnimo and Ayaltimo were reported, and without prior involvement in this SPI. This is not helping the case of them not colluding and/or socking with the others. There is also their activity on the original research noticeboard supporting Raganimo's POV [75]. --Kzl55 (talk) 16:09, 25 November 2020 (UTC)

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