Wikiproject:Antispam/Archives/2021/Prix Versailles

Several accounts used to promote the Prix Versailles and linked subjects as en:International Appeal of 7 June 2020, en:Purple economy, etc.

Discussions

31 July 2021: Following up Prix Versailles

Prix Versailles was promoted across sixteen Wikipedias and inspired the creation of this meta project.

On en and fr Wikipedias we have

discussed the problem on an antispam forum
requested a local sockpuppet investigation for the editors involved
requested a sockpuppet investigation on meta for the editors involved
added templates to articles such as en:Template:Undisclosed paid (ongoing)
nominated affected articles for deletion (ongoing)
cleaned up promotional material (ongoing)

I have posted a version of the following message on fourteen Wikipedias and Wikidata.

Message

Cross Wikipedia promotion and sock puppets for Prix Versailles

An investigation has found that articles on en:Prix Versailles and related subjects were the subject of a coordinated campaign of promotion, over several years and sixteen languages, involving numerous sock puppets and probably paid editing. Ten active and six older accounts were identified. Related subjects include en:Purple economy, en:Cultural footprint and en:International Appeal of 7 June 2020. If you have any questions or comments please reply here or post them at the Cross-Wikipedia section of the en Wikipedia discussion.

Links

Links to messages

Please post your comments and questions on the case in this discussion. TSventon (talk) 13:01, 31 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for reaching out all these communities! FYI, I opened an archive for this case: Wikiproject:Antispam/Archives/2021/Prix Versailles.

I also used id:Templat:Undisclosed paid on id-wp. I guess we can do that too, when there is such template on the wiki. — Jules* ^Talk 13:26, 31 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you Jules* only a few projects have responded so far, so I may need some help or advice with finding the right contact.

Based on your suggestion, I have added adding templates to the steps taken.

I have asked at en:Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Prix Versailles whether it is possible to keep the history of the article accessible while cross wiki investigation is ongoing. Do you think that would be useful, or indeed practical? TSventon (talk) 14:23, 31 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I will help you on the second round, but let's wait a bit for a reaction on wikis where there is no reaction for now.

For the en-wp article: I'm not sure it's needed, except if you think we miss socks? I did not really dig the en-wp article history tbh ;-). — Jules* ^Talk 14:28, 31 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I agree people need time to respond, especially where I only posted messages today. I will look for another route for it Wikipedia as I have posted on their Antispam project which appears dormant.

I was "thinking aloud" about whether there is a value in keeping the history of PV accessible and wondering whether it would hinder investigation on other Wikipedias if most of the evidence on en and fr Wikipedias was deleted. Probably it wouldn't. TSventon (talk) 14:51, 31 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Has somebody contacted Commons? I noticed that the sustainable development files on the Purple economy articles have almost all been deleted today, but I suppose that could be coincidence. TSventon (talk) 22:49, 31 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I did not! But I indeed saw that files were deleted. Maybe an initiative of wikipedians from one of the several wikis you informed? Best, — Jules* ^Talk 08:10, 1 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, I will ask at Commons. Should the remaining pictures by MARdF (Guy Savoy) and Idoumou33 (Francesco Bandarin, Paulina Morán, Jury Prix Versailles 2018) be nominated for deletion? I am not sure how to do that. They are all own work: if that is correct the subjects suggest a closer involvement with Prix Versailles than the editors admitted. File:Guy Savoy.jpg seems to be a copyvio as it is marked ©laurence Mouton. TSventon (talk) 12:36, 1 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@TSventon: for File:Guy Savoy.jpg, it's not copyvio as there is a VRTS permission ticket attached ;). For the other files, yes, it suggest a closer involvement... but I can't find older sources on the web for those files, so there is no evidence of copvio (and as the people pictured are not anonymous, I guess there is no reason to delete it?). Except for File:Réunion Jury Prix Versailles 2018.jpg which is also on Prix Versailles website, with a risk of copyvio; I will add a template for this one, and Commons user will decide what to do. Best, — Jules* ^Talk 12:47, 1 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Jules* Guy Savoy is flagged as MARdF's own work and also as ©laurence Mouton, who seems to be a professional photographer.The VRTS permission ticket may explain that, but I can't see it. The photograph of Francesco Bandarin with a giant tortoise, flagged as Idoumou33's own work, was probably taken on a visit to Galapagos. If the Prix Versailles editors uploaded copyrighted sustainable development files, arguably all their work is suspect. TSventon (talk) 13:08, 1 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

TSventon For Guy Savoy, indeed, there seems to be an error in attribution. For the rest, I understand your point; feel free to submit the case to Commons sysops. Best, — Jules* ^Talk 13:31, 1 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The Commons sysop who deleted the files on the Purple economy articles had seen the archive page and has now nominated everything except Guy Savoy for deletion. TSventon (talk) 18:33, 1 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

TSventon, you added [1] very specific information to the en:World Architecture Festival page. That page was created by the organisers themselves, and mainly updated by SPAs. It's not possible to add so specific information to the page without explicit interest. You also created the dedicated page en:INSIDE Festival, which is part of en:World Architecture Festival. The World Architecture Festival is merely known by some architects. That organisation awards buildings, as the Prix Versailles does, but the Prix Versailles adresses also the large public. There are not many awards with this scope. I can't believe you are not acting here for the UK-based World Architecture Festival. Apart from the University of Oxford, up to now your job was mostly correcting typos. Since one month [2] @ GeneralNotability, Prix Versailles deleting has been a major part of your work [3]. As we can see, your will was clearly to delete Prix Versailles mentions in all wiki: "If Fr Prix Versailles is deleted, will fr Wikipedia remove other mentions of the prize?" [4] @ Blablubbs and Jules*. You worked conscientiously for that. And you organised canvassing with that purpose: "you are obviously welcome to comment at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Prix Versailles as well. If Prix Versailles is deleted, then mentions of the award in other articles will probably be removed as well" [5] @ Netherzone. You said to Possibly: "I'm no specialist" about architecture and design. That is not true. [6] All this reveals manipulation with a big conflict of interest for the benefit of a competitor. 95.140.7.136 11:40, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

(Blocked) IP editor, I edit subjects in Wikipedia I enjoy, including Oxford, architecture and typos. In July I noticed that Prix Versailles related content on Wikipedia had been added by a number of single purpose accounts so I felt obliged to report that at Wikipedia:Conflict of interest/Noticeboard and do some work on following up the report. I made a few edits mentioning the World Architecture Festival in 2019, but I was and am not acting for them. (Response copied from en:Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2021 August 2#Prix Versailles.) TSventon (talk) 14:59, 21 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, about it-wiki... I haven't written in Italian for years... I hope at least it is understandable. https://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Richieste_agli_amministratori/Richieste_correnti&diff=122608192&oldid=122598413 Best, Bédévore (talk) 21:54, 22 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Bédévore, thank you for that. I had posted on the it anti spam project without result so far. It Wikipedia administrators should also loo at https://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Speciale:Contributi/AigeusMare. TSventon (talk) 08:48, 23 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Jules* is now a good time to follow up responses from other Wikipedias? I have been tracking responses at en:User:TSventon/sandbox3 and there is still no reply at zh (archived), id, ko, it. Bédévore has also posted on it Wikipedia without response. In other news I have nominated en:Purple economy for deletion and requested checkuser for three more accounts at en:Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/MARdF. TSventon (talk) 09:09, 6 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the follow up. I guess you can make a reminder. But for it-wp, I wouldn't insist: they have been informed several times, and I also put templates on two articles; they don't take care and don't even reply, it's their choice. Best, — Jules* ^Talk 09:50, 6 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Accounts

MARdF (talk · contribs · CA)
Pantell (talk · contribs · CA)
Idoumou33 (talk · contribs · CA)
Cervantes04 (talk · contribs · CA)
Gaudiem (talk · contribs · CA)
Aspic80 (talk · contribs · CA)
FloricaMihalba (talk · contribs · CA)
Mihály64 (talk · contribs · CA)
Satynath (talk · contribs · CA)
TangoYalin (talk · contribs · CA)
Kerbau2016 (talk · contribs · CA)
Choiphane (talk · contribs · CA)
Piotmoko (talk · contribs · CA)
YaqiuElena (talk · contribs · CA)
AigeusMare (talk · contribs · CA)
Icheus (talk · contribs · CA)
2A01:CB06:8011:39B7:C823:5BAE:E750:C43D (on fr-wp)

Socks or meatpuppets:

Bluetana (CA · xwiki · sc · COIBot report · fr · en) (sock or meatpuppet)
Paskal 123 (CA · xwiki · sc · COIBot report · fr · es) (sock or meatpuppet)

Other

OTRS:11911519