Comment by llamageddon01 on 24/10/2021 at 06:31 UTC*

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View submission: The NewToReddit Encyclopaedia Redditica v2

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Sock Puppet

In Internet terms, sock puppets are online identities[1] used to disguise activity by the operator, most commonly for purposes of deception. The term is a reference to the manipulation of a simple hand puppet made from a sock[2]. Online Sock Puppetry can range from being:

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sock_puppet_account

2: https://www.handmadecharlotte.com/7-diy-sock-puppets/

• Mostly Harmless - Where a member of an Internet community creates an alternate identity for the purposes of speaking to, or about, themselves while pretending to be another person.

• Deception Scams - Where someone is promoting fake merchandise disguised as a Post[3] with two or three immediate sock puppet replies: one posting the product, another asking for a link and yet another offering the link or thanking the OP profusely for providing the link.

3: https://www.reddit.com/r/crappyoffbrands/comments/gh2af2/tshirt_scams_and_the_likes/

• Manipulation Tactics - Where someone is Astroturfing; the underhand practice of using alternate accounts for disinformation purposes[4] or to manipulate public opinion by praising, defending, supporting, rubbishing or denigrating a person or organisation.

4: https://www.nortonlifelock.com/blogs/norton-labs/identifying-sockpuppet-accounts-social-media

• Fraudulent Claims - Where false legitimacy is given[5] to a phenomenon or product in order to generate public interest and buzz.

5: https://www.vice.com/en/article/438v7j/inside-a-reddit-sockpuppet-operation-spam-upvote-shadowbanned

Reddit does not take kindly to sock puppets[6] and you might even fall foul of our Ban Evasion or Vote Manipulation rules if you use an Alt account in this way. So don’t do it, even in fun[7].

6: https://www.reddit.com/r/modhelp/comments/2evazn/sockpuppet_handling/

7: https://www.reddit.com/r/help/comments/pxt8wz/what_is_this/

• *Because there is a Subreddit for everything:**

r/LeftTheBurnerOn showcases examples of people who forget to switch to their alternative account.

• *See Also:**

• Alt[8]
• Astroturfing[9]
• Bots[10]
• Preemptive Ban[11]
• Shill[12]
• User-History Based Moderation[13]
• Vote Manipulation[14]

 

8: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/qbb173/comment/hhhh2z2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

9: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/qbb173/comment/hhhi2si/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

10: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/qbb173/comment/hhhsd8u/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

11: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/qbb173/comment/hhqwr1l/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

12: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/qbb173/comment/hhcsj0z/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

13: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/qbb173/comment/hhui9rj/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

14: https://www.reddit.com/r/NewToReddit/comments/qbb173/comment/hhujb0m/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

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