Commons:Requests for checkuser/Case/Alec Smithson

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Alec Smithson

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Status: open • view • edit • history • watch
Filed: 09:02, 23 October 2020 (UTC)

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Rationale, discussion and results

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Obvious further throw-away account recently created by this long-term and globally locked abuser, who repeatedly uploads copyvio files with falsified information and provenance and creates/edits error-filled pages and categories related to his characteristic obsessions with the Natoli, Biotti, and Polli families and the town of Lierna. Most recent upload is File:Antonio Bonetti, Lago di Como Lierna, olio su tela, 30x40cm, 1770.png. I've nominated it for deletion as Copyvio with bogus attribution and dating. This was painted in 2016 not 1770. See https://www.catawiki.it/l/27755849-antonio-bonetti-lago-di-como-lierna. It is not the work of the 18th century church painter :Antonio Bonett. Note also Smithson's typical ploy of listing the source as a generic "Archive" and failing to add the real source, i.e. this. The IP 151.21.149.67 (added for information) has been making edits in the same area both here and cross wiki and was recently blocked on EN WP as a sock of Smithson [1].

Given the past prolific socking, suggest checkuser for sleepers.For background see See Commons:Administrators' noticeboard/User problems/Archive 72#Indef block for 13 sockpuppets of globally locked User:Alec Smithson and en:Wikipedia:Long-term abuse/Alec Smithson and previous checkuser requests. Voceditenore (talk) 09:02, 23 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Likely. No sleepers found. --Krd 06:55, 1 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the Request for checkuser. Please do not modify it.
Subsequent requests related to this user should be made above, in a new section.
The following discussion is preserved as an archive of a Request for checkuser. Please do not modify it.

Alec Smithson

[edit]

Status: open • view • edit • history • watch
Filed: 11:04, 10 February 2019 (UTC)

[edit]

Rationale, discussion and results

[edit]

Obvious further throw-away accounts recently created by this long-term and globally locked abuser, who repeatedly uploads copyvio files with falsified information and creates/edits error-filled pages and categories related to his characteristic obsessions with the Natoli, Biotti, and Polli families and the town of Lierna. Same behaviour and targets as the already confirmed and blocked accounts. See the recent Commons:Deletion requests/File:ALDO NATOLI.jpg (uploaded by ProvinciaArchiv) and Commons:Deletion requests/Files uploaded by Giudice71. The IP has edited Natoli and has extensive cross-wiki edits on the target subjects. For background see See Commons:Administrators' noticeboard/User problems/Archive 72#Indef block for 13 sockpuppets of globally locked User:Alec Smithson and en:Wikipedia:Long-term abuse/Alec Smithson and previous checkuser requests.

Given the long-term and persistent socking right up to the present, I strongly suggest a checkuser for sleepers as well. Voceditenore (talk) 09:42, 12 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Confirmed Giudice71 = ProvinciaArchiv. --Krd 18:42, 13 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the Request for checkuser. Please do not modify it.
Subsequent requests related to this user should be made above, in a new section.
The following discussion is preserved as an archive of a Request for checkuser. Please do not modify it.

Alec Smithson

[edit]

Status: open • view • edit • history • watch
Filed: 11:04, 10 February 2019 (UTC)

[edit]

Rationale, discussion and results

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Reason: Obvious further throw-away accounts from this long-term abuser, who repeatedly uploads copyvio files with falsified information and creates error-filled pages and categories. Same behaviour and targets as the recently confirmed and blocked Italianpassion89, DesignLover56, Italianpassion4, Artpassionitaly, and DesignerToparchitect. Both IlVeneto and the IP 151.20.7.153 (previously blocked on both WikiData and EN WP as a Smithson sock) edited File:Antonio Rotta, Kid in Venice.jpg. Note that en:Antonio Rotta was created by Smithson and remains a target of his socks both there and transwiki.

For background see See Commons:Administrators' noticeboard/User problems/Archive 72#Indef block for 13 sockpuppets of globally locked User:Alec Smithson and en:Wikipedia:Long-term abuse/Alec Smithson and previous checkuser requests.

Given the long-term and persistent socking right up to the present, I strongly suggest a checkuser for sleepers as well.

Voceditenore (talk) 11:04, 10 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the Request for checkuser. Please do not modify it.
Subsequent requests related to this user should be made above, in a new section.
The following discussion is preserved as an archive of a Request for checkuser. Please do not modify it.

Alec Smithson

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Status: open • view • edit • history • watch
Filed: 16:08, 23 January 2019‎ (UTC)

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Rationale, discussion and results

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Reason: These are all almost certainly socks of Alec Smithson, globally locked since 2016 but still socking transwiki and extensively here. For background see See Commons:Administrators' noticeboard/User problems/Archive 72#Indef block for 13 sockpuppets of globally locked User:Alec Smithson and en:Wikipedia:Long-term abuse/Alec Smithson.

Similar names of first two suspected socks Artpassionitaly and Italianpassion4 . Both registered 14 January 2019 within 3 minutes of each other. ErgoOTN registered 5 days later.

All three, like Alec Smithson and his previous socks, focus on anything and anyone associated with the Italian town of Lierna and various members of the Castiglioni family (also the Polli and Natoli families amongst others).

Like Smithson and his previous socks, Artpassionitaly and Italianpassion4 have uploaded numerous obvious copyvios here. Two are already up for deletion here and here. But all their uploads need to be checked. Smithson and his socks often fake the dates of publishing/creation, attribute them falsely to "own work", and/or use vague descriptors for the source like "Archive of X" or "X Archives".

ErgoOTN (like the previous confirmed socks, who also created and/or edited bizarre and error-filled gallery pages and categories) created Castiglioni, populating it with images uploaded by Artpassionitaly and Italianpassion4, but initially pasted in an entirely erroneous description copied verbatim from Polli which was created by SandraPol23 (talk · contribs), a confirmed Smithson sock, and also edited by the IP 151.20.7.153. Between 19 and 21 January 2019, that IP has also edited Castiglioni and Lierna and created numerous Castiglioni-related categories. The IP has also been repeatedly blocked on English Wikipedia as a sock of Alec Smithson [2].

Given the long-term and persistent socking right up to the present, I strongly suggest a checkuser for sleepers as well. Voceditenore (talk) 16:08, 23 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Once again, for what it's worth, I endorse all that VdT says above. From my previous experience of this globally-locked user, I see absolutely no possibility of doubt. Lierna and Castiglioni are favourite Smithson topics, and I note that ErgoOTN also has edits related to Carlo Bazzi, another Smithson special. The global contribs of the IP contain examples of almost all his leitmotiven – Sperlinga, Natoli, Biotti, Garau, Pittoni, Filippini and so on; it has also made a number of edits to Wikipedia:Long-term abuse/Alec Smithson. Check-user for other accounts seems highly advisable. Nothing, just nothing, that this user says or does can be taken on trust – I've never managed to understand whether that's because of of dishonesty or because of an inability to distinguish between truth and fantasy. Justlettersandnumbers (talk) 20:03, 23 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Note that I have now added DesignLover56 to the list of Suspected related users. User was recently blocked as a Smithson sock on English WP and has uploaded numerous images here, several of which are clear copyvios and all related to a frequent Smithson target Gualtiero Galmanini. The account was created 24 hours after this checkuser request was filed [3]. For the checkuser's information 37.119.11.7 (talk • contribs • WHOIS • RBL • tools • luxo's • crossblock • block user • block log is also a clear sock as can be seen from their transwiki contributions. Per en:Wikipedia:Long-term abuse/Alec Smithson, Smithson socks edit from IPs tracing to Vodafone in Milan (e.g. 37.119.11.7) and Wind Telecomunicazioni in Milan and its surrounding towns (e.g. 151.20.7.153 listed above). In the past the socks have also extensively edited from IPs tracing to Telecom Italia in Milan. Voceditenore (talk) 10:04, 25 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Italianpassion89 registered today and has been added to the Suspected related users list. User has uploaded numerous copyvio images (by their own admission) and all in the Smithson target areas of Lierna and Giannino Castiglioni. Voceditenore (talk) 17:33, 28 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the Request for checkuser. Please do not modify it.
Subsequent requests related to this user should be made above, in a new section.
The following discussion is preserved as an archive of a Request for checkuser. Please do not modify it.

Alec Smithson

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Status: open • view • edit • history • watch
Filed: 16:56, 7 October 2018 (UTC)

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Rationale, discussion and results

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Reason: These are all almost certainly socks of Alec Smithson, globally locked since 2016 but still socking transwiki: obsession with Salvatore Garau, the Polli, Biotti, Natoli, Bernocchi, and Bestetti families, the town of Lierna, etc. The sources of images here very often are cited as a vague "archives of X" or "archivio of X" with usernames which imply connection to "official" archives and fonds. Becomes even more obvious when looking at transwiki contributions. For more detailed description of the modus operandi of the master, see en:Wikipedia:Long-term abuse/Alec Smithson. PubArch56, SalArchivio, SalArch2, SalvaGarau, and Saver68 have uploaded numerous copyvios here. SandraPol23, CarmelaPolli, HistoriaItalia, and IP 151.20.7.153 have created or edited bizarre and error-filled pages here such as Natoli [4], Gino Polli [5], Viale Beatrice d'Este (Milano) [6]( and this misspelling), Salvatore Garau (edited by 5 of the named accounts above + the IP), Polli [7] (the coat of arms is not for the Polli family), Biotti (with dubious coat of arms, uploaded by Smithson and edited by both PubArch56 and SandraPol23), Bestetti [8], etc. See also the account Sergey7 (talk · contribs), now stale, but also uploaded numerous Salvatore Garau copyvios here and was indef blocked on English Wikipedia as a sock of Smithson [9]. Given the long-term and persistent socking right up to the present, I strongly suggest a checkuser for sleepers as well. Voceditenore (talk) 16:56, 7 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]

For what it's worth, endorse the excellent explanation above. Based on my long experience of this nuisance user, I'm convinced these are all socks; it definitely seems worth checking whether there are others too. Justlettersandnumbers (talk) 10:40, 8 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]
  • While RfCU is technically only an information exercise, we do generally block and tag as well. In this case, however, because Alec Smithson is Stale, an LTA of whom I was not previously aware, and has a smaller historical footprint (relative to other projects) on Commons (and indeed no existing tag/category), I thought it best to leave tagging/sorting/etc. to someone more familiar with the behavioural aspects. I would suggest ANU, yes. Эlcobbola talk 16:23, 8 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the Request for checkuser. Please do not modify it.
Subsequent requests related to this user should be made above, in a new section.


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