@PhishMaster I can't answer on the MSE because I am suspended (not for sockpuppetting). It is not case-by-case basis, it is clearly defined, what is allowed with sockpuppets and what is not.

@PhishMaster The definition is very simple: anything what (s)he could not do with a single account, is forbidden. Not only voting/accepting his/her own posts, but even supporting the comments of his/her other account.

@PhishMaster If (s)he is enough tricky, the SE has no way to discover what is going on. But most sockpuppeters are not enough tricky. Check his/her reputation history. If you see that (s)he gets the upvotes in "bunches", then it is a mistake.

@PhishMaster Furthermore, the company can see the IP addresses and they can also see if someone tries to hide their IP addresses. They have also likely log of all the IP addresses from which all their users ever logged in or voted.

@PhishMaster It is very hard to trick them. Flag it and they will do something.

@peterh-ReinstateMonica Thanks Peter. She is incredibly intelligent, but other than denying it when I called her out about it, she has done nothing to hide it.

@peterh-ReinstateMonica She used to ask questions, stopped, and then the SP account popped up. She has asked and answered 16/17 questions (the last 16) from one user, and all the bounties went to the main account. In addition, those 16 questions in a row, and she has ELABORATE answers, she answered in an average of 29 minutes. Only once was she over an hour at 66 minutes. They account for 18% of all her answers. Her average for the rest of the questions she has answered is a couple minutes under 5 hours.

@peterh-ReinstateMonica Since I joined, and I always live on my computer as an IT consultant, I have a browser open, and have answered A LOT of questions, and I know I cannot come close to 29 minutes on average...I sleep. I know stats can lie, but the kicker is that she has had the SP account since 2017, so her writings are extensive. The constructions and in particular, some of her formatting, are TOTALLY unique.

@peterh-ReinstateMonica This is what is wrong with this site: Everyone is so judgmental. The little tyrants deleted the question instead of answering. I know they do not like the idea of my airing it in public, but tough.

@PhishMaster The evil in the communities has a structure. You can hack them.

@PhishMaster There are rules what they nearly always follow. You need to know it and so you can utilize it against them.

@peterh-ReinstateMonica I liked your definition of what was wrong: anything what (s)he could not do with a single account, is forbidden. Frankly, I was just trying to get the Legendary badge, and then retire. Being a master, by answers are usually very good, but also the title gets a lot of respect in the community, and I have been around forever (since 1997) as PhishMaster.

@peterh-ReinstateMonica I may just out her, and leave now. I am too old to really care what they think.

At least you are not banned on all your sites.

@PhishMaster It is the rule of the SE. Now the problem is that the company wants to kill the site network, as "non profitable" (the likely truth is that they are too stupid to manage it)

@peterh-ReinstateMonica What rule is that?

@PhishMaster Raise flags to her posts, explain why do you think that it might be the same account, and say that there is also a misuse (for example, accepting the post of your other account is forbidden)

@peterh-ReinstateMonica Oh, I will be doing that. It goes without saying.

@PhishMaster The company wants to be an IT company, driving the IT site Stack Overflow. Inside the company, today probably the arrogant stupidity permeates everything. I think, the IT-related SE sites will be likely merged into the SO, and the rest will be sold.

Including the chess SE.

Btw, I solved chess.com trainings many months long, and I went to about 1400 on their chess puzzle glicko score. I play with level5 chess.com engine (estimated glicko 1200), and I win more often than 50%. I play every day multiple blitz. How the heck I can't go over 1000 there?

@peterh-ReinstateMonica I was on Super User under my real name a log time ago. I made the top 10, and 15,000 points in just 67 days. I left because the moderators just piss me off to no end.

@PhishMaster The company has probably logs from all the IPs of all the users ever logged in. To cover a sockpuppet misuse, she need to use such an account, which has never used the same (or even similar) IP as their main account. Yes, she can likely do, for example by the extensive usage of the tor, but it is hard, and it is enough to commit a mistake only once.

@peterh-ReinstateMonica Not begging for votes since most days I go over the 20 votes anyway, and I my peak was over 50, and have hit 45 a number of times, but if you join the Chess SE, and look at my favorited questions, and read my answers. I have a lot of specific advice. I do not favorite my own answers because they are mine, but just so I can find them again.

You can also send me a friend request on chess.com and we can message there too. I am always happy to help people.

Same handle, PhishMaster (not related to the crime of phishing...I explain the origin in detail in my profile).

@PhishMaster The problem is that investigating sockpuppet cases means software developer work on confidental data. Thus, the time of the people capable to check it, is costly for the company. And the result will be only user/content loss. So, the investigation is lazy or non-existent - except if there is some power asking for a careful checking.

@peterh-ReinstateMonica Well, like I said, I have overwhelming evidence, and I intend to spell it out for them, I was ANGRY, so I spent two days pouring over a mountain of data she left. They will not need to do much to check it out.

The side-effect is that you can even vote yourself up with your own sockpuppets - if you don't do any bad (like flamewars on the meta, or too offensive self-upvoting), they will close their eyes - on the condition that you produce good content.

@peterh-ReinstateMonica That is what I am worried about with her...they will not do anything because, it is admittedly good.

@PhishMaster But also you are good.

I am not worried about that. You know something about chess, and if you read my answers, you can see I produce good content. I just do not like cheaters, and when I called her out, she said things that warrant punishment.

@peterh-ReinstateMonica Is chess.com owned by the same company as Stack Exchange?

Oh, sorry, old-man vision...not chess.com.

@PhishMaster How many rep has she, and how many could she have without self-upvotes?

@PhishMaster No, I fixed to chess.stackexchange.com . I don't know chess.com, but I think they need a little development yet, until I become a diamond member again.

@peterh-ReinstateMonica She is this user. No idea what she could have without the self-upvotes. That is not what bothers me. chess.stackexchange.com/users/3594/phonon

@PhishMaster After posting a chat message, you can about 2 minutes to edit it. I edited the false "chess.com" to "chess.stackexchange.com"

@peterh-ReinstateMonica Even with a free account, feel free to send me a friend request there. I get a free diamond account for life due to my title, which is nice. I am also a member of chess24.com and ICC (although when it runs out, after 23+ years, I won't be anymore)

I see. I thought I just read it wrong. :0