*************************************
*The secret "investigation" list gets harassed*
* A wild Kohs appears *
*************************************
From: (Kirill Lokshin)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:46:57 -0500
Subject: [Arbcom-l] Please look into this incident
On Nov 13, 2007 9:28 AM, Durova <nadezhda.durova> wrote:
> I received a series of harassing e-mails late into the night that used my
> real name, attempted to intimidate me, and continued after I had requested
> no further contact. I'll be forwarding you the e-mails in my next message.
>
> Jehochman, Daniel, Bishonen, and I all blocked an IP address for trolling
> over two days. Now, according to Sarah, this person has revealed himself as
> an editor in (otherwise/previously) good standing of 3.5 years. She can
> fill you in on the details regarding that.
>
> I'm convinced this person was fronting for Greg Kohs (Wikipedia Review) and that
> this was part of an elaborate scheme to joe job Jehochman and myself.
>
> I'll be forwarding the e-mails and some diffs to you in a moment. Please
> have the Committee look at this. At the very least this was a serious lapse
> in judgement. I think it's e-mail harassment.
>
> I don't think the e-mails I received were written by Greg Kohs: the prose
> style is different and the person misspells my name. I am not in a position
> to evaluate this because I don't know who this user is, but if the Committee
> agrees that these messages come from this longstanding editor, I ask the
> Committee to ban this person for harassment. This is way over the line.
>
> -Durova
>
We'll look into it.
Kirill
-----------
From: (Kirill Lokshin)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:48:09 -0500
Subject: [Arbcom-l] Please look into this incident
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Durova <nadezhda.durova>
Date: Nov 13, 2007 9:29 AM
Subject: Fwd: this also looks silly
To: Kirill Lokshin
forwarding
-Durova
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Durova <nadezhda.durova>
Date: Nov 13, 2007 4:24 AM
Subject: Fwd: this also looks silly
To: wpinvestigations-l at wikia.com
Except for the final e-mail I've forwarded all of this to Cary Bass and
FloNight already.
-Durova
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Merops Ornatus <merops_ornatus at yahoo.com>
Date: Nov 12, 2007 1:51 AM
Subject: Re: this also looks silly
To: Durova <nadezhda.durova>
And how should we handle your bad blocks of innocent editors, public IPs
and careless false charges against Mr. Kohs (or what Jonathan would call
"BLP violations," were they said of himself?)
How about apppointment to ArbCom! Yes, ArbCom needs a good sleuth, alright!
Someone who will carefully examine all the evidence and make sure to get it
right each and every time! You're just the one, Lisa. I'm convinced.
Now go tell the nice people I'm "harassing" you, as you promised. What a
joke.
----- Original Message ----
From: Durova <nadezhda.durova>
To: Merops Ornatus
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 1:38:32 AM
Subject: Re: this also looks silly
I repeat: air your grievances with the Wikimedia Foundation or the
arbitration commitee.. Do not contact me again. I will not reply to
further messages and will handle them as harassment.
On Nov 12, 2007 1:35 AM, Merops Ornatus wrote:
> What appropriate channels? I don't know what you're talking about.
>
> -M.O.
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Durova <nadezhda.durova>
> To: Merops Ornatus
> Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 1:16:37 AM
> Subject: Re: this also looks silly
>
> I have already referred you to the appropriate channels. Please direct
> your attentions there and do not contact me again.
>
> On Nov 12, 2007 1:08 AM, Merops Ornatus wrote:
>
> > "I ask for a 1 year fill-in position on the Committee?because an editor
> > with sleuthing skill is an asset to the Committee. It's important to
> > weigh evidence critically and get each decision right ."
> >
> > -M.O.
> >
> > p.s. Block evasion?how the hell else am I supposed to communicate when
> > my user talk page is s-protected? Think about that.
-----------
From: (Kirill Lokshin)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:49:03 -0500
Subject: [Arbcom-l] Please look into this incident
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Durova <nadezhda.durova>
Date: Nov 13, 2007 9:29 AM
Subject: Fwd: User:24.19.33.82
To: Kirill Lokshin
forwarding
-Durova
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Durova <nadezhda.durova>
Date: Nov 13, 2007 4:26 AM
Subject: Fwd: User:24.19.33.82
To: wpinvestigations-l at wikia.com
The rest of the correspondence.
-Durova
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Merops Ornatus
Date: Nov 12, 2007 12:43 AM
Subject: User:24.19.33.82
To: nadezhda.durova
Hi Lisa,
I know for a fact that User:24.19.33.82 has nothing to do with Greg Kohs.
You've really blown it here, and comments such as?
"I'll call this a WP:DUCK block: I've been blocking Wikipedia Review socks for a
year and am pretty good at spotting them."
"With experience one gets quite good at this."
?will make you look awfully stupid if the true identity of
User:24.19.33.82comes out.
How do I know this? Because that's my current IP (for now.) My aim was only
to edit anonymously like any other IP. So please let me do so. Otherwise,
I'm forced to prove how badly you and Jonathan have messed this up in order
to get unblocked. Unblocking the IP's yourself (which belong to public
commercial establishments, you shouldn't be blocking them for 3 months
anyway) with some summary like "benefit of the doubt" would be a face-saving
way for you to avoid this.
-M.O.
----------
From: kirill.lokshin at gmail.com (Kirill Lokshin)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:49:57 -0500
Subject: [Arbcom-l] Please look into this incident
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Durova
Date: Nov 13, 2007 9:52 AM
Subject: Fwd: [Wikipedia Investigations-l] Could we get a few
eyesonanANIthread?
To: Kirill Lokshin
Forwarding the thread from the investigations list. Please note Sarah's
posts that describe the Wikipedian account involved: it's 3.5 years old.
Jehochman had a chat with Sarah shortly after these posts and he thinks he
can identify which editor she means by some information Sarah was aware of
that most people wouldn't know. I'll follow up on this with a more
organized presentation of the diffs I posted here.
-Durova
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jonathan Hochman <jeh at jehochman.com>
Date: Nov 13, 2007 6:10 AM
Subject: Re: [Wikipedia Investigations-l] Could we get a few
eyesonanANIthread?
To: Wikipedia Investigations <wpinvestigations-l at wikia.com>
WJBsribe has protected ANI for IP trolling. We should have less disturbance
today.
Durova wrote:
Viridae in contact with Kohs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=171098561More attempted joe jobbing. For the record, I'm sitting at home in San
Diego and haven't set foot in Florida in ten years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=171159694http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=171161908-Durova
On Nov 13, 2007 5:22 AM, Durova wrote:
> I apologize if you dislike the tone. No disrespect toward anyone on this
> list was intended. Being one of the two people who got targeted, naturally
> I'm a little hot under the collar right now. I see Kohs's fingerprints all
> over this.
>
> Viridae admitted on ANI that he'd conferred with Kohs about this
> incident. This editor of 3.5 years certainly could have contacted me in
> an appropriate manner either before or during the incident. Even in the
> best good faith scenario, this is someone who squandered a good reputation
> to troll and then stood idly by while a banned long term vandal continued
> the trolling.
>
> I want the Foundation or ArbCom to look into this because the e-mails I
> received didn't seem to be from Kohs. I don't ask anyone to disclose
> information to me that they've promised not to tell. At the same time, I
> *do* very much want the people who do know who this user is to compare the
> harassment I received against other information.
>
> I've forwarded this person's e-mails to the list. If anyone who needs
> them doesn't have them, please let me know and I'll forward again.
>
> -Durova
> On Nov 13, 2007 5:05 AM, Sarah Ewart wrote:
>
> > I don't really like the tone of that questioning. Please remember that
> > we are all on the same side: Wikipedia's side. I made an agreement
> > and promised this person that I would not "out" their account if they
> > revealed it to me because I thought it was in Wikipedia's best interest to
> > put an end to the disruption and settle the question about whether it was
> > Kohs or some other banned user. This is why I am not identifying the
> > account. But as I told Lar privately, I have no problems with others
> > identifying the account themselves and dealing with it as they feel is
> > appropriate. I rarely make a promise on Wikipedia but when I do I stand by
> > it. I do not support people harassing you, via email or any other forum, I
> > am, after all, the person who disabled Armed Blowfish's email access
> > entirely because her harassment of you and I have endured regular
> > questioning about that action ever since. I only agreed to confidentiality
> > in this case so as to rule out Kohs and other banned people as the source of
> > the original dispute.
> >
> > No. They don't admit to any such things. They strongly protest that they
> > are proxying for Kohs. I asked them a few minutes ago about emails sent to
> > you but they haven't replied yet. The only thing they have admitted to is
> > making the edits signed by the IP *24.19.33.82*
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > *From:* Durova
> > *To:* Wikipedia Investigations <wpinvestigations-l at wikia.com>
> > *Sent:* Tuesday, November 13, 2007 11:51 PM
> > *Subject:* Re: [Wikipedia Investigations-l] Could we get a few
> > eyesonanANIthread?
> >
> > Am I correct in gathering that this person is admitting to proxying and
> > trolling for Kohs, and to harassing me by e-mail at Kohs's request?
> >
> > Do they have any excuse at all for this behavior?
> >
> > On Nov 13, 2007 4:49 AM, Sarah Ewart wrote:
> >
> > > They claim that
> > >
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contr...ons/24.19.33.82 is the
> > > only one that belongs to this person. Or rather, the edits signed by as
> > > that IP. I take it they may have used open proxies after they were blocked
> > > but they signed all their comments with that IP; at least, that is what they
> > > say. They also said that they think some of those other IPs and the
> > > usernames may belong to Kohs.
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > *From:* Durova
> > > *To:* Wikipedia Investigations <wpinvestigations-l at wikia.com>
> > > *Sent:* Tuesday, November 13, 2007 11:42 PM
> > > *Subject:* Re: [Wikipedia Investigations-l] Could we get a few eyes
> > > onanANIthread?
> > >
> > > FWIW, Kohs tried to run for ArbCom last year while he was banned, then
> > > tried to file a complaint against the two editors who blanked his candidacy
> > > attempt.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I'll get the candidacy diffs in a moment. His request for
> > > investigation afterward was how I first encountered him, and as we all know
> > > he's the kind who holds a grudge.
> > >
> > > -Durova
> > >
> > > On Nov 13, 2007 4:34 AM, Durova wrote:
> > >
> > > > And the account could have been sold or compromised. Here are the
> > > > three addresses I blocked last night. Several others continued to troll the
> > > > ANI discussion.
> > > >
> > > >
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contr...ons/24.19.33.82> > > >
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contr.../208.64.241.252> > > >
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contr...s/71.231.104.63> > > >
> > > > -Durova
> > > >
> > > > On Nov 13, 2007 4:26 AM, Larry Pieniazek
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Don't forget that the self identification could be a sham. (joe
> > > > > job?) Any email can claim to be anyone, and without some digging, (which I
> > > > > personally don't have technical skills for but would love to read more
> > > > > about) you can't prove anything (well I guess you COULD ask for an innocuous
> > > > > edit to their user page that includes some phrase or something)
> > > > >
> > > > > If this hasn't been CUed already??? Someone send me probable cause
> > > > > and remind me of the IP again and I'll run a check.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Larry Pieniazek
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > ------------------------------
> > > > > *From:* wpinvestigations-l-bounces at wikia.com [mailto:wpinvestigations-l-bounces at wikia.com]
> > > > > *On Behalf Of *Durova
> > > > > *Sent:* Tuesday, November 13, 2007 7:22 AM
> > > > > *To:* Wikipedia Investigations
> > > > > *Subject:* Re: [Wikipedia Investigations-l] Could we get a few
> > > > > eyes on anANIthread?
> > > > >
> > > > > Well then, I'd advocate indeffing that original account for
> > > > > e-mail harassment. Shall I forward our entire conversation to this list?
> > > > > This was an obvious setup: a simple self-identification would have resolved
> > > > > everything. This person feigned ignorance when I referred him/her to ArbCom
> > > > > and the Foundation.
> > > > > If I pulled a stunt like that and harassed a woman late into the
> > > > > night, using her real name and refusing to stop after she repeatedly asked
> > > > > me to cease contact, I'd expect to be banned in a heartbeat. That's way
> > > > > over the line.
> > > > >
> > > > > -Durova
> > > > > On Nov 13, 2007 3:16 AM, Sarah Ewart wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > I really need to rephrase what I wrote before. I was in total
> > > > > > shock and
> > > > > > should have written it differently since we are on the internet
> > > > > > and there is
> > > > > > always the possibility, however remote, that anyone is anyone
> > > > > > else.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Their regular account is not blocked or banned and they have
> > > > > > been editing
> > > > > > Wikipedia for about three-and-a-half years. Their regular
> > > > > > account has
> > > > > > never (that I know of) been accused of being Greg Kohs or Dereks
> > > > > > and knowing
> > > > > > the regular account and the identity of the real life person
> > > > > > behind that
> > > > > > account, I find the
> > > > > > suggestion tenuous at best and very unrealistic.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > > From: "Herby" <herbythyme>
> > > > > > To: "Wikipedia Investigations" < wpinvestigations-l at wikia.com>
> > > > > > Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 9:34 PM
> > > > > > Subject: Re: [Wikipedia Investigations-l] Could we get a few
> > > > > > eyes on an
> > > > > > ANIthread?
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > The misspelling interest me. People tend to be pretty
> > > > > > consistent with
> > > > > > > things like that particularly names. My spelling mistakes and
> > > > > > style (or
> > > > > > > lack of it) will become quite obvious over time. I certainly
> > > > > > think a
> > > > > > > peek at the users would be interesting.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > As to Durova's point - nothing apparent at present - you do
> > > > > > have such
> > > > > > > fun on en wp with such things don't you. (maybe I'll go
> > > > > > withdraw the
> > > > > > > RfA:))
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > On Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:20:44 +1100, "Sarah Ewart"
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > said:
> > > > > > >> Thanks Herby for checking it out. Muchly appreciated.
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> For what it's worth I've received more emails since last
> > > > > > night and they
> > > > > > >> said
> > > > > > >> that they knew my email address from previous emails we've
> > > > > > exchanged and
> > > > > > >> from (unidentified) mailing lists. Whether that is true or
> > > > > > not remains to
> > > > > > >> be
> > > > > > >> seen. They insist their account is in "good standing" and in
> > > > > > no way
> > > > > > >> related
> > > > > > >> to Greg Kohs or any other banned user. They suggested they
> > > > > > might be
> > > > > > >> willing
> > > > > > >> to identify themselves to me, so I offered them a deal to
> > > > > > reveal their
> > > > > > >> account name to me (just for the record, one I fully intend
> > > > > > to honor) and
> > > > > > >> I'm very curious to see if they decide to take me up on it.
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> Durova, their emails to me misspelled your name as well
> > > > > > (spelled as Lisa)
> > > > > > >> but the last one I received tonight had it correct.
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> -Sarah
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > > >> From: "Herby" <herbythyme>
> > > > > > >> To: "Wikipedia Investigations" < wpinvestigations-l at wikia.com
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >> Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 8:51 PM
> > > > > > >> Subject: Re: [Wikipedia Investigations-l] Could we get a few
> > > > > > eyes on an
> > > > > > >> ANIthread?
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >>
> > > > > > >> > For what it's worth there has been no CU interest in that
> > > > > > IP (log
> > > > > > >> > covers
> > > > > > >> > just short of a year). And if I'm not supposed to have
> > > > > > disclosed that
> > > > > > >> > you didn't see it!
> > > > > > >> >
> > > > > > >> > On Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:26:18 -0800, "Durova"
> > > > > > >> >
> > > > > > >> > said:
> > > > > > >> >> Comes frm Seattle, uses Comcast. Possibly Dereks1x.
> > > > > > >> >>
> > > > > > >> >> I had been thinking it could be Kohs himself spoofing the
> > > > > > location.
> > > > > > >> >> Kohs
> > > > > > >> >> is
> > > > > > >> >> a manager for <redacted>
> > > > > > and could have
> > > > > > >> >> the
> > > > > > >> >> technical skill for that maneuver.
> > > > > > >> >>
> > > > > > >> >> But when the IP harassed me by e-mail and tried to
> > > > > > intimidate me it
> > > > > > >> >> spelled
> > > > > > >> >> my name wrong. Kohs has always been diligent about
> > > > > > getting my name
> > > > > > >> >> right.
> > > > > > >> >> I don't deal with Dereks1x very often so he probably
> > > > > > hasn't gotten up
> > > > > > >> >> to
> > > > > > >> >> speed yet. And the prose style was quite differentfrom
> > > > > > Kohs: blunter,
> > > > > > >> >> more
> > > > > > >> >> aggressive.
> > > > > > >> >>
> > > > > > >> >> -Durova
> > > > > > >> >>
> > > > > > >> >> On Nov 13, 2007 12:58 AM, Herby < herbythyme >
> > > > > > wrote:
> > > > > > >> >>
> > > > > > >> >> > Would seem worth a friendly CU taking a look at users on
> > > > > > that IP
> > > > > > >> >> > maybe?
> > > > > > >> >> >
> > > > > > >> >> > Cheers
> > > > > > >> >> >
> > > > > > >> >> > On Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:30:46 +1100, "Sarah Ewart"
> > > > > > >> >> >
> > > > > > >> >> > said:
> > > > > > >> >> > > The IP sent me two emails last night, just ranting
> > > > > > about Durova
> > > > > > >> >> > and
> > > > > > >> >> > JH,
> > > > > > >> >> > > nothing important, but they emailed me directly and
> > > > > > not through
> > > > > > >> >> > > WP.
> > > > > > >> >> > > My
> > > > > > >> >> > > email address isn't private by any means but I would
> > > > > > think a
> > > > > > >> >> > > random
> > > > > > >> >> > > IP
> > > > > > >> >> > > who just stumbled into a situation would find it
> > > > > > rather difficult
> > > > > > >> >> > > to
> > > > > > >> >> > find
> > > > > > >> >> > > and they had no doubts that it was me and not another
> > > > > > Sarah.
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > > > >> >> > > From: Durova
> > > > > > >> >> > > To: Wikipedia Investigations
> > > > > > >> >> > > Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 9:34 AM
> > > > > > >> >> > > Subject: [Wikipedia Investigations-l] Could we get a
> > > > > > few eyes on
> > > > > > >> >> > > an
> > > > > > >> >> > > ANIthread?
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> > > The IP editor who's been causing trouble here has
> > > > > > been posting
> > > > > > >> >> > > again.
> > > > > > >> >> > > Could someone remove the post per WP:BLOCK?
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> >
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Adm..._from_Jehochman> > > > > >
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> > > Also, very strange comments from Viridae here.
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> > > -Durova
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> >
> > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> > >
> > > > > > >> >> > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > > >> >> > > wpinvestigations-l mailing list
> > > > > > >> >> > > wpinvestigations-l at wikia.com
----------
From: (Kirill Lokshin)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:50:47 -0500
Subject: [Arbcom-l] Please look into this incident
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Durova
Date: Nov 13, 2007 10:46 AM
Subject: evidence re: Greg Kohs and an established Wikipedian
To: Kirill Lokshin
Cc: Jonathan Hochman
This evidence shows Greg Kohs (Wikipedia Review) concocted a scheme to discredit
Jehochman and myself with the assistance of an established Wikipedian. One
or the other (probably the Wikipedian) harassed me by e-mail. The community
banned the Wikipedian's IP address for trolling and harassment yesterday. I
ask the Committee to identify the main account and extend the ban there
too. Under normal conditions I would seek some kind of dialog and polite
resolution, but a fellow who harasses one woman late at night over the
Internet probably does the same to others, and most victims would leave
Wikipedia rather than step forward as I am doing.
Now in order to demonstrate that this Wikipedian was proxying for a banned
editor's disruptive agenda, it's necessary to show the banned editor's
MO. Kohs
takes an intense interest in my offsite publications. He's posted
comments to the interview I did at YouTube and every column I've written.
He usually starts a new Wikipedia Review thread each time one of my columns
comes out and he even posts comments to my comments on other people's
articles. Some representative examples follow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stq6MindK94http://searchengineland.com/070807-085103.phphttp://searchengineland.com/070717-113550.phphttp://searchengineland.com/070911-083723.phphttp://wikipediareview.com/index.php?showtopic=12783http://searchengineland.com/070627-094651.phpAnd as an example of the type of coordinated attack Kohs orchestrates, he
and his buddies astroturfed a glowing review into an indictment of
Wikipedia.
http://news.stepforth.com/blog/2007/07/how...e-wikipedia.phphttp://news.stepforth.com/blog/2007/08/is-...dia-corrupt.phpI suspect Kohs launched this attack now to discredit me during the
election. He's the sort of fellow who holds a grudge and he tried to run
for ArbCom himself while he was banned by Jimbo Wales. The attempt didn't
get very far:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=86305792http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=86367482http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=86412438http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=86419237http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...&oldid=86420980Rather than take no for an answer, Kohs lodged a noticeboard complaint and
tried to discredit two Wikipedians in good standing who had removed his
attempted candidacy. This was how I first encountered Kohs - by answering
his request for investigation:
On October 25 Kohs started trying to lodge spurious COI allegations against
Jehochman and myself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=166925363and tried to network the concept:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=166925545and pretty much admits who he is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=166964430Moving ahead to yesterday's noticeboard thread, here's the recent drama. As
you can see, it regurgitates Kohs's allegations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Adm..._from_JehochmanI blocked 3 IP addresses in connection with this as probable Kohs socks. It
might be fair for someone to shorten these blocks since the IPs turned out
to be throwaways. According to Sarah, the editor who contacted her claimed
the 24.19.33.82 address as his own and said that the others were Kohs socks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contr...ons/24.19.33.82http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contr.../208.64.241.252http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contr...s/71.231.104.63Viridae admits he was in contact with Kohs about this incident. Sarah says
the Wikipedian who contacted her has been around for 3.5 years and Viridae's
account history goes back only as far as April 2006, but I find it
disturbing toe see an administrator putting so much faith in a banned
vandal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=171098561More attempted joe jobbing. For the record, I'm not in Orlando as the IP
suggests. I'm sitting at home in San Diego and haven't set foot in Florida
in ten years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=171159694http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=171161908and a frivolous checkuser request.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=171094602Bottom line here, whoever this Wikipedian is, the person could have
contacted me to ask my side of the story. Instead, at a minimum, this
person trolled and proxied on behalf of a long term vandal. The community
agreed to a siteban on that IP address for harassment and disruption. I ask
the Committee to confirm the sockmaster account from Sarah and ratify the
community's ban on the main account.
-Durova
----------
From: (Kirill Lokshin)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:05:58 -0500
Subject: [Arbcom-l] Please look into this incident
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jonathan Hochman
Date: Nov 13, 2007 10:59 AM
Subject: IP Harasser and Viridae
To: kirill.lokshin, Durova
Hi Kirill,
Durova asked me to email evidence directly to you.
The email below is Kohs' allegation that Durova and I profit from Wikipedia,
remarks that are parroted by the IP Editor.[
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=170699257]
"As a consultant with what looks to be money riding on your participation in
this endeavor."
Kohs send me this email after we posted at [
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:COI_analyst] . I blocked COI analyst
as a sockpuppet. [
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...ser:COI_analyst]
==========================================
On 10/25/07, Gregory Kohs wrote:
> Here's your e-mail.
>
> I think it's pretty clear that now that you and Lise are personally
engaging
> your careers in public discussions of Conflict of Interest in Wikipedia,
you
> should disengage your roles from the Wikipedia:COI area. You know it's
> hypocritical to argue anything otherwise.
>
> Cheers! And, best of luck with capitalizing on Wikipedia for personal
> gain. Jimbo does it, so we're just following a great example.
>
> --
> Gregory Kohs
>
>
==========================================
Here is a prior attempt by Kohs to gain influence through me (Jun 28, 2007):
===========================================
The following request was submitted from JEHochman.com:
*************
source: Other
name1: Gregory Kohs
company: <redacted>
position: Corporate Marketer
website: <redacted>
phone1: <redacted>
email: <redacted>
Consultation: Consultation
comments: Jonathan, before we get into an all-out war on that blog post
about editing Wikipedia, might I offer a truce? Your website here is full
of typos and grammatical errors. I could help you copyedit the entire site.
Gratis. You\'d owe me nothing in return. Unless, you\'d feel compelled
to help me understand how/why Google is picking up <redacted> pages so
relatively well, and (more importantly) how we could get them even stronger.
I\'m not a \"bad guy\", and I can easily see you\'re not, either.
contact: E-Mail
*************
============================================
Here's a conversation I had with User:Sarah about Viridae's involvement:
============================================
*me:* Another topic. We have an issue with Viridae.
Do you think I should contact Viridae politely and ask for an explanation?
* **Ewart:* about what?
the ani thing?
* me: *About contacting Greg Kohs for advice rather than asking me to
clarify.
And why Viridae, of all 1300+ admins, was the one to restore that thread.
The odds of that are very low.
Per Occam's Razor, it is much more likely that somebody told Viridae about
the thread and asked for help getting it to stick.
* **Ewart:* i thought he explained on ani
he said, "I contacted Greg directly and asked whether the IPs were his or
not."
* me: *That's an odd thing to do.
Viridae had concerns about my actions, but didn't ask me even one little
question.
Why is Viridae going to Greg Kohs for advice?
* **Ewart:* but you have done so, too.
* me: *I have never contacted Greg Kohs.
Ewart: i dont see where he is going to Kohs for advice
* me: *He pesters me once in a while.
* Ewart: *you've spoken to him on the phone, though, and you've asked him
if particular socks are his
they both edit WR
* **me:* How do you know?
How do you know what I said to Greg Kohs?
* Ewart: *know what? i said three things there. you said
* **me:* Be careful not to believe misrepresentations posted by Kohs, or
people under his influence.
Greg called me on the phone and attempted to bribe me.
* **Ewart:* you said that you asked him and he said that COI analyst or
whatever it was called was his
oh yes? to do what?
* me: *He's clever.
He's capable of contacting Wikipedians and trying to gain influence over
their actions.
Are you friends with Viridae?
Sent at 9:25 AM on Tuesday
* **me:* If so, could you tell me whether a quiet conversation with Viridae
might help clear my concerns?
I don't know Viridae at all.
Sent at 9:28 AM on Tuesday
* me: *Hello?
Ewart: yes
* me: *Do you think I should have a chat with Viridae?
Sent at 9:50 AM on Tuesday
* Ewart: *i answered you already.
...if you think you should have a chat with him then go ahead...
* **me:* I didn't receive that.
* Ewart: *Sent at 1:28 AM on Wednesday
sarahewart: i get along okay with Viridae but he isnt a friend of mine and I
have never had off-wikipedia correspondence with him. I dont think we have
ever even posted on each others talk pages. the only place i remember
talking to him is on ANI. if you think you should have a chat with him then
go ahead. but i still can't see where he said he asked kohs for advice about
anything.
Sent at 1:32 AM on Wednesday
jehochman: Hello?
* **me:* How odd, that didn't come through. Glad I asked again.
Thanks. TTYL.
=====================================================
Important Clarification: Greg Kohs did call me on the phone. He did not
try to bribe me on the call. The bribe attempt was the email dated June 28.
My bad punctuation has created an ambiguity. This should read: "Greg
called me on the phone, and he [separately] attempted to bribe me."
Summary:Viridae admits to contacting Greg Kohs to determine if the IP Editor
is him:
[
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=171098561]
As It is very odd that Viridae turns to a banned user to get clarification.
I would think Viridae would contact me if he was concerned about my
involvement. I have not yet received any communication from Viridae.
Kohs' story has been relayed to both Sarah and Viridae. Viridae refers to
my contacts with Kohs, [
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=171098671].
The nature of my contacst with Kohs are not common knowledge. Kohs appears
to have also provided this story to the IP Editor. Sarah tells us that she
has received email from the IP Editor. Sarah repeated Kohs' story to me via
chat. "*Me:* ...Why is Viridae going to Greg Kohs for advice?* **Ewart:* but
you have done so, too." Actually, as the email above shows, Kohs came to
me. The idea that I went to Kohs is a fiction in Kohs mind.
Viridae, who admits to maintaining correspondence with Kohs, was the one
among 1300+ administrators who restores the IP Editor's ANI thread. [
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=170890784]
The probability of that happening without deliberate coordination seems
remote. It is much more likely that either Kohs or the IP Editor sent a
message to Viridae asking him to defend the thread.
A community ban of the IP Editor was discussed at the ANI thread with no
objections raised. [
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Adm...mail_harassment]
I request that Sarah reveal the identity of the banned editor. An
administrator should not agree to keep confidential the identity of a banned
user who has engaged in harassment.
Viridae's adminiship should be reconsidered based on his behavior as a proxy
for Kohs.
Best regards,
Jonathan
--
Jonathan E. Hochman
-----------
From: (Kirill Lokshin)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:13:37 -0500
Subject: [Arbcom-l] Please look into this incident
I've copied all of this material to the private wiki (
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/arbc...ember_2007%29);in retrospect, that may have been a better thing to do from the start.
Kirill
----------
From: (charles.r.matthews)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:56:02 +0000
Subject: [Arbcom-l] Please look into this incident
Well, Mr. Kohs is quite a poisonous person. I'm somewhat concerned now as to what Viridae thinks he is doing.
Charles
-----------
From: (jayjg)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:43:42 -0500
Subject: [Arbcom-l] Please look into this incident
On Nov 13, 2007 11:56 AM, <charles.r.matthews> wrote:
> Well, Mr. Kohs is quite a poisonous person. I'm somewhat concerned now as to what Viridae thinks he is doing.
>
> Charles
Viridae is a Wikipedia Review regular; he has made 157 posts there.
-----------
From: (Kirill Lokshin)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:52:28 -0500
Subject: [Arbcom-l] Please look into this incident
On Nov 13, 2007 12:43 PM, jayjg wrote:
> On Nov 13, 2007 11:56 AM, <charles.r.matthews> wrote:
> > Well, Mr. Kohs is quite a poisonous person. I'm somewhat concerned now
> as to what Viridae thinks he is doing.
> >
> > Charles
>
> Viridae is a Wikipedia Review regular; he has made 157 posts there.
Didn't he blank some arbitration case after a request on WR? Or am I
confusing him with someone else?
Kirill
-----------
From: kirill.lokshin at gmail.com (Kirill Lokshin)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:45:57 -0500
Subject: [Arbcom-l] El C
On Nov 13, 2007 3:25 PM, Jonathan Hochman <jehochman.com> wrote:
> Kirill,
>
> El C is dragging up the ANI thread from yesterday which was archived.
> Could you possibly let him know that we have submitted this matter to ArbCom
> for review, and that further discussions at ANI are misguided. Thank you.
>
>
>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Adm...ehochman_thread>
>
> The IP Editor specifically contacted El C and asked him to get involved.
> This is something that concerns me. El C is hardly an uninvolved party, so
> he should not be conducting his own investigation.
>
Done:
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/w...oldid=171278562.
Regards,
Kirill
-----------
From: (Kirill Lokshin)
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:07:11 -0500
Subject: [Arbcom-l] Wikipedia e-mail - Jehochman
On Nov 13, 2007 3:58 PM, FT2 wrote:
> Depending what's being discussed, I * may * have some valid input.
>
> Are you able to give any indication what sort of evidence is relevant?
> What sort of matter is under discussion? So I can decide if anything Ive
> seen of his activity etc is germane?
>
> (For example, is it "general conduct", "reliability of judgement",
> "ability to express self", understanding of policy", "use of tools" ... or
> is it just taken over by arbcom for drama reduction?)
>
We've just begun to collate the various statements we've received on this
affair; at this point, the exact scope of our investigation is not precisely
defined. Please feel free to submit any sort of information you think may
be of interest to us.
Regards,
Kirill
Durova block of !! (Nov/Dec 2007) Including backstory on the hidden list, and AC acting on those "investigations"
MaliceAforethought Durova block of !! (Nov/Dec 2007) Including backstory on the hidden list 
