Meta: can mods identify burner accounts?

Submitted by NashvilleBLUE on October 23rd, 2018 at 7:28 PM

Wondering if there is a way, or a care, for mods or site owners to identify those people with burner accounts that are insta-replying to their own comments or mass downvoting posters.

For instance, there are a few new accounts that are mass downvoting one of our few insiders and putting him into defense mode. It's clear it's the same troll. The same account will post some rediculous take and immediately comment with "oh man, great point well done blah blah blah".

 

WolverineinLA

October 23rd, 2018 at 7:32 PM ^

1. Idk how they would be able to tell? That would be impossible unless they get IP data or something. 

2. Can someone tell me how to upvote and downvote? I assumed that feature wasn't working or else I'd have like 100,000 points by now.

JOHNNAVARREISMYHERO

October 23rd, 2018 at 7:40 PM ^

MGOBLOG is actually only like 5 very good looking people with a bunch of different names talking to each other.

Seth

October 23rd, 2018 at 7:40 PM ^

New accounts have to get to a certain point threshold before they can vote. The mods can see  a page  that shows the new accounts, and often block a new user if their first couple of posts are overly negative or causing disruption in a thread.

Umbig11 is legit, or at least I know who he is and why he has his access, and that he holds back much of what he hears. He's not going to be scared away by some skeptics.

LSAClassOf2000

October 23rd, 2018 at 7:50 PM ^

So long as Cloudfire hates points, there will be no points but for short periods when the interface is sleeping, and then site itself usually is mostly down during those same periods.

To answer the OP's question though, the answer is that I have no access to any of the data that would make that relatively simple. 

mgowill

October 23rd, 2018 at 8:57 PM ^

I will take time to point out that it's good for me, as a moderator, if people still use the thumb.  Even though points aren't working, I use the upvotes and downvotes when I analyze an account as part of my assessment.  If every time you post you are getting 20 or 30 downvotes (sometimes more) then it is probably time for the poster to find a new site to troll.

Clancy's Hands

October 23rd, 2018 at 7:50 PM ^

On the old site, 100 points, as I recall, was the threshold for being allowed to upvote and downvote and I was able to do both. On this new "improved"? site, I can neither upvote nor downvote. Can ANYONE explain to me why this is? Thanks in advance.

Steweiler

October 23rd, 2018 at 9:33 PM ^

I'd like to know as well.  I've been here for quite a while, don't really post much, but I don't have the ability to vote whatsoever.  I can't even see who is getting upvoted or downvoted.  I think I had about 300 MGOpoints before the changeover.  I see a bunch of posts that are just absolute shit/asshole/fuckwad trolling, but I'm powerless to downvote.  I see great post that I am, again, powerless to upvote.  Can someone explain what I'm supposed to do here?  Do I need to go on the posbang threads to get enough points to see votes?  Because I'm not going to do that. 

Lanky Kong

October 23rd, 2018 at 7:53 PM ^

Thanks for the info. As a newer account I didn't realize that the point system was still working on the new site since I couldn't see any way to up/down posts and I've been stuck at 0 points. Do people actually use the point system? I come here every day but rarely post. I would feel strange trying to spam lots of posts just to get my point total up, especially since it is seemingly a system people rarely use anymore. 

J.

October 23rd, 2018 at 11:27 PM ^

IP addresses are rarely particularly useful.  Two different people can have the same IP address -- at the same time, if they're housemates sharing cable, or coworkers sharing a proxy server, for example, or at different times, as your IP address can cycle when you go off-line, particularly on mobile.

On the other hand, a troll can have many different IP addresses, either by using a remote proxy or just writing one set of messages from his laptop and the other from his phone (on 4G).