After looking into it further you seem to be right on the point of dude is astroturfing posts and using alts. I can admit when I am wrong so I won't be auto up voting anymore, or at least until things calm down. That being said I still say you can block the subs they spam, which in their case was mostly ones they created.
I appreciate your comment.
I have learned a lot from my time at voat and I started to learn patterns and behaviors that 99% mean the person is a troll or creating mass alts to upvote and use at a later date to manipulate the site. This user isn’t that bright and his names and behaviors are just to similar. (Some like to be super obvious so then their normal alt can jump in with the hive mind against the troll) Here’s the thing with most users, they don’t have multiple personality disorders. It’s actually very difficult to stay ‘in character’ when using multiple alts. Alt creators always slip up, either by the same spelling mistakes, time of day posts, there are just so many ways we are all unique in our conversation style. After 3+ years on voat and reading comments every day in the subs I ran it became so completely obvious to me whos who.
Hopefully keeps an eye out for this user.
It’s so bizarre that someone would put time and energy to something like this but never underestimate the damage they can do. I got the short end of stick over at voat and had to deal with one of the main alt creators there. It’s made me just extremely aware at how vulnerable sites are to a very motivated idiot.
I'd be curious if you have any suggestions about what to do about this kind of user?
He’s not really that malicious...yet. He’s obviously from voat by the picture hosts he uses and his way of commenting on posts his other alts have made. Don’t be surprised if you go back next week to look at his alts to see how he went back and upvoted those comments. (Voat mindset because voat has restrictions tell you reach a certain cc) It takes about a week for a submission to go unnoticed, people stop scrolling or caring about posts usually at the 24 hour mark. Voat IMO was wise to set up voter limitations on old posts. I would make it so comments can’t be upvoted or downvotes after 5-7 days. There’s no need for internet points really and after 24 hours the post has reached max point collection.
My other advice, stop commenting on known troll alt accounts. It should of been really obvious to the handful of loyal users here that this guy was an alt creator with a few bolts loose yet everyone except me called him out on his bullshit and I’m not that active here. Where are the mods in the subs he was posting in? I don’t think we need to delete his posts but he was just posting random pics with a wack job title and no sources. And people upvoted that shit.
You can’t assume positive intent from anyone coming here. You just can’t. New accounts shouldn’t be given the benefit of the doubt. Fake internet points shouldn’t be thrown at them just because we are low on content. There is no voat type hazing here so new users get a free pass. However awlful voat was to new users it did teach new users the culture and that no one gets a free pass. You want a free pass; go to Reddit.
Believe me though, they won’t stop.
You have been extremely diligent on SBBH behaviors. This behavior is that exact same thing but executed differently. I’d also wouldn’t be at all surprised if the user we are talking about already has a main alt he uses to blend in here, probably a top 10 user.
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