Alan sez, “A ‘sock puppet network’ is a set of seemingly independent accounts on Wikipedia that act in concert because they are (or at least strongly appear to be) all controlled by the same entity. The accounts are sock puppets for the true entity, which uses the network to effect changes it wants on Wikipedia.”
In true open Wikipedia fashion there’s even a talk page that lays out the investigation details and supporting evidence for what appears to be a massive network of hundreds of these sock puppets. Although the investigation is still ongoing it appears that this network was primarily interested in creating and promoting pages on Wikipedia as a way of gathering attention and influence. The root cause may go back to a group of paid editors in Silicon Valley who have been hired by small companies looking for a cheap way to gather attention and a reputable air.
The battle to destroy Wikipedia’s biggest sockpuppet army [Simon Owens/Daily Dot]
(Thanks, Alan!)