Commons:Administrators' noticeboard/Blocks and protections

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Administrators: Please make a note if a report is dealt with, to avoid unnecessary responses by other admins.

purge Admin backlog

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Copyright:

• Copyright violations: ~47
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• Categories for discussion: 134 months
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• Protection level: ~0

See also: DR, HMS, …

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User:NotLessOrEqual socks

• NotLessOrEqual (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• Acmetaut (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• ChienShiEr (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• HyperrPoint (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• Bogeywrap (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• Sashmark (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user

Some suspiciously linked hardware photos in Wikipedia's en:Micro-Star International article:

• File:MSl Aegis X.jpg from single-upload Commons user Acmetaut (currently up for deletion at Commons:Deletion requests/File:MSl Aegis X.jpg as "suspected Flickrwashing"). Acmetaut added the photo to enwiki themselves; they have since been blocked there as a sock of NotLessOrEqual.
• File:ITX 4080S Expert.jpg from single-upload Commons user ChienShiEr, which has really bad upscaling (especially on the top grille) yet a noisy grain on top of that.
• File:AeroITX.jpg from single-upload Commons user HyperrPoint (uploaded three minutes after ChienShiEr's image).
• File:MSI GTX 1080ti cropped.jpg from single-upload Commons user Sashmark; it purports to be a derivative of two grainier images uploaded a few minutes prior by double-upload user Bogeywrap (File:1080tiMSI.jpg and File:1080tiMSI 2.jpg). The originals look AI upscaled (eg. the text on the jar in the second image) with a noisy grain on top. This grain disappears in Sashmark's version.

Sashmark added the second, third and fourth images to the Wikipedia article in a single edit, their only edit to Wikipedia. Acmetaut is still active on Commons, the other accounts were all abandoned.

This looks like of User:NotLessOrEqual, who has used single-upload throwaway accounts to upload AI-upscaled versions of other people's photos in the past, including MSI graphics cards. They've tried various washing routes over the years (DeviantArt, Flickr) to disguise their origin, I assume the "Commonswashing" of Bogeywrap is a variation on that. It's possible that their deleted 2024 file File:GTX1080tiMSI.jpg is even the same photo.

Suggest all uploads be deleted as likely copyright violations. Acmetaut should be blocked per the enwiki block; the others seem behaviourally obvious, I don't know if it's appropriate to request a checkuser sweep for any other single-upload accounts who've uploaded AI-upscaled photos of computer hardware or guns. Belbury (talk) 13:14, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

Done a bit of tidying up but not got time to do some of the detail. However I strongly suspect you are correct. Thanks for the report. Herby ^{talk thyme} 13:34, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

This has been open and inactive for a while now. @Lymantria can help with the possible socking here. Shaan Sengupta^Talk 04:43, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

Apart from Acmetaut the accounts mentioned are Stale, so CU tools don't help here. Acmetaut is indeed NotLessOrEqual and helped me find a couple of other ones that were not blocked already: RockyWeiss, Carigramms, MoIHito, and JoseffGnagbo. Those have been blocked and tagged. --Lymantria (talk) 11:59, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

Thanks! Can those users' four uploads (File:RockyWeiss PC 3080RTX.jpg is own work, File:Thorium CC.gif/File:CCRadium226.gif/File:CCRadonGas.gif are same-day Deviantartwashed) be deleted as further probable copyvios, or does it need a DR to be opened? Belbury (talk) 12:07, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

Though those accounts are stale, still we can see that ChienShiEr and HyperrPoint were created in a matter of minutes and Bogeywrap was created sometime earlier than these. But all the three accounts have the exact same contribution. So we can take the behavioral evidence. Though there can be an argument that action isn't taken against stale accounts. Shaan Sengupta^Talk 15:53, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

I don't think it is a good idea to not block socks of a known sockpuppeteer, as socks might become active again. Blocking on behavioural grounds might be a good thing to do. I was asked to help with CU tools, and those don't help with stale accounts. --Lymantria (talk) 10:27, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

@Lymantria, yes I asked you to help with CU tools. I didn't check the activity back then. But did so after your previous comment. I completely agree that socks should be blocked. I just said what's heard sometimes. The behavioral evidence is there, whatever limited we have. If you go ahead with the block, I'm in full support to that. We also have a list down in this very thread. Those accounts also follow the same pattern, joined in the same time period, did the same with their userpage and went inactive. So plz have look at it, maybe you can help there too. Thank you. Shaan Sengupta^Talk 15:36, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

I understand, but the blocking for these duck socks could have been done by any admin. I have blocked all accounts and tagged as suspect socks of NotLessOrEqual. I am a bit reluctant to block users both from CU evidence and from behavioural evidence in the same case, as the latter are no checkuser blocks and there might be misunderstanding about that. Perhaps that's just my thing. So  Done. --Lymantria (talk) 20:36, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

Twelve more burner accounts that uploaded a single (or in some cases a couple of) AI-upscaled pictures of an Nvidia graphics card, during a two-week period last year, and then left Commons, waiting for a different account to add the pictures to an enwiki article. In one case an enwiki account added images from RustyPush, Yemiriv371, LunaaSurge and Abujataegu in a single edit ten minutes after Abujataegu's upload. Rennessey and Muscatinni were also Deviantartwashing through a burner Deviantart account, as past socks had.

• Abujataegu (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• RustyPush (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• Yemiriv371 (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• LunaaSurge (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• Kremenets (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• Rennessey (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• Muscatinni (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• XiaaoRui (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• Cesttina (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• 1Kipperpass1 (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• Aamaysim (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• MierJinshi (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user

Spot checks of these are showing up more attempts to disguise copyvios using trivial edits and blobby AI upscaling: Abujataegu's File:UA 1za rtx titan.jpg has identical reflections and angles and details as the recurring xda-developers.com stock photo at https://www.xda-developers.com/popular-pc-components-i-never-got-to-use/ from 2024, File:ITX LGA 1700 Intel.png appears to be a pre-existing product photo (identical coil of red wires in the bottom left) with a picture of an Intel fan very crudely superimposed. --Belbury (talk) 18:51, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

Another part of this pattern is the one-character user page, so it doesn't show up in red.

Should we just presume that anything that shows up this way is a copyvio unless proven otherwise? - Jmabel ! talk 21:20, 17 April 2026 (UTC)

I think so. It would seem an unnecessary use of our time to analyse all the uploads individually until we've tracked them all down to their sources. Or, as we did at Commons:Administrators' noticeboard/User problems/Archive 117#Military image sockpuppetry, to give the LTA the benefit of the doubt and delete only their "obvious copyright violations", so that future users are left to discover and delete the less obvious ones a year later.

(I still think Commons would benefit from that new speedy criteria for blocked-for-copyvio sockpuppet uploads, for cases like this.) Belbury (talk) 08:10, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

Commons:Deletion requests/Uploads by socks of NotLessOrEqual. For obvious reasons, I did not bother notifying the uploaders, but if anyone thinks that is necessary in this case, feel free. - Jmabel ! talk 20:42, 19 April 2026 (UTC)

Perhaps I should have just deleted rather than make it a DR. No one (including the other participants in this thread) has commented there. I would greatly appreciate if people weighing in here would also weigh in on the DR. - Jmabel ! talk 04:48, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

Please delete them all.   — 🇺🇦Jeff G. ツ please ping or talk to me🇺🇦 05:00, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

+1 Shaan Sengupta^Talk 05:12, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

User ~2026-24360-87

Another sock puppet of Levi Kambai. Again at the graphics lab illustration workshop. Once again he's requested vectorization of an already vectorized logo. By the way, I nominated the logo in question for deletion to see if he stops. It's already the 41st sock puppet of this user we know of. Candidyeoman55 (talk) 14:04, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

@Candidyeoman55: Did you not see "Notify the user(s) concerned via their user talk page(s). {{subst:Discussion-notice|noticeboard=COM:AN/B|thread=|reason=}} is available for this." above? I notified them for you, this time.   — 🇺🇦Jeff G. ツ please ping or talk to me🇺🇦 14:13, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

Please stop deletion this files Gummy Bear Jello (talk) 14:30, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

@Candidyeoman55 and @Jeff G. the "Gummy Bear Jello" account reverted the SD template that Candidyeoman55 placed on File:Memiti.svg; I've reverted that action Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 14:36, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

I also think ~2026-24117-61 is another Levi Kambai sock puppet. But it needs to be proven. Candidyeoman55 (talk) 14:41, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

Also see if the user Gummy Bear Jello is another sock puppet of Levi Kambai. He removed the deletion tag from the file, and he got reverted by the user above. Candidyeoman55 (talk) 14:37, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

I got reverted by whatever an "Oh Wow Wow Wow" is Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 14:45, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

Can there be a semi protection for the file for now? Candidyeoman55 (talk) 14:56, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

 Done All blocked. Yann (talk) 15:37, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

Remove the request created by the sock puppet from that page, otherwise some graphist will end up doing it. When reverting the edit of another sock puppet at the graphics lab illustration workshop, you inadvertently put back the request made by another sock puppet there of the logo now deleted. Candidyeoman55 (talk) 16:11, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

 Done Ah yes, nasty LTA accounts. Yann (talk) 16:23, 20 April 2026 (UTC)

Take a look at Lfstephens. On English Wikipedia, Levi Kambai (link to his enwiki profile) is listed as a sockpuppet of Lfstephens.

Also look at Jeabbabe. Now I think he may be a sockpuppet of Levi Kambai. He uploaded the Memiti logo which I nominated for deletion. The logo was ultimately deleted. The name is similar to Jeababe, a confirmed sockpuppet of Levi Kambai. Levi Kambai has been permanently banned from every Wikimedia project. Candidyeoman55 (talk) 00:48, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

Since I have been implicated, I would like to deny these allegations. I am not anyone's sockpuppet. Jeabbabe (talk) 01:22, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

@Jeabbabe: this discussion is not about you

There was a "Jeababe" in the prior comment; it's missing a B compared to your username Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 01:44, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

Oh wait nvm Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 01:44, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

@Candidyeoman55: the account "Jeabbabe" was created in 2014, while the account "Levi Kambai" was created in 2023; I strongly doubt that the former is a sock of the latter.

In addition, I believe that the eerie similarity of the name "Jeababe" to "Jeabbabe" is a matter of impersonation. Please note that Jeababe was only created on 21 December 2025. Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 06:48, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

I didn't look into that, I'm sorry. Candidyeoman55 (talk) 08:53, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

It's fine; you're welcome Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 09:08, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

I thought it was a sockpuppet because it was Jeabbabe who uploaded the Memiti logo in 2024 and his username is similar to a confirmed sockpuppet. Jeabbabe can request undeletion of the Memiti logo if he wants. Candidyeoman55 (talk) 09:21, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

Yep, got it

Courtesy link: Commons:Deletion requests/File:Memiti.svg. Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 09:40, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

User:Vicky van Dal

Moved to Commons:Administrators' noticeboard § Bot glitch: Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 05:45, 28 April 2026 (UTC)

Realcosmixyt

User: Realcosmixyt (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user

Continuing to upload non-free images with false permissions or tags. They were blocked in December for a week for similar behaviors. CountryANDWestern (talk) 13:08, 28 April 2026 (UTC)

"I literally went to this school, and the crest is more than 70 years old" Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 13:45, 28 April 2026 (UTC)

Possibly true of its overall design, certainly not true of the rendering in question.

Still, I strongly suspect that this person is well-intentioned and is likely to become a good contributor if they are willing to learn the ropes. For another example, they may well be the designer of File:Home (Album).jpeg as they claim, and just not understand what they need to do to upload previously published work. I think this is not a clearcut case, and probably should be taken up at COM:ANU rather than here (though no objection to continuing here, as long as this doesn't rush toward a block). - Jmabel ! talk 18:08, 28 April 2026 (UTC)

My concern is two-fold: overall, it seems like they're using Wikipedia to promote a couple of things that are non-notable and personal to them. They've created the articles at both the English and Simple English Wikipedias and they've all been deleted or in the process of being deleted. Because of that desire to write about/promote the things they like, they're not focused on the rules.

I think the idea of them having designed the album cover is generous. They're labeling things as an own work indiscriminately, from album covers to video game screenshots to Instagram posts. They had what looks like 14 uploads that were tagged before their block in December, and it looks like 12 or so that were tagged since for generally the same issues. We'll see if they engage but I'm not sure they're understanding the concerns. CountryANDWestern (talk) 19:14, 28 April 2026 (UTC)

You could be right.

FWIW, Commons' threshold for notability is generally lower than en-wiki's. For example, almost any member of a university faculty is notable enough to merit a picture on Commons, but not a Wikipedia article. Similarly, we'd love to have a picture of pretty much any music venue ever used, most of which would fall far short of en-wiki notability. - Jmabel ! talk 19:58, 28 April 2026 (UTC)

Of the images this user still has live, I believe File:ReelCosmix.png could be retained per {{User page image}}

File:Chanel College Building.png could be retained as an in-scope image

The rest... no, no, no Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 02:50, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

User:Robert Steeple broon

• Robert Steeple broon (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user

Uploading found scientific diagrams and spiritual social media posts as their "own work", after a final warning for copyright violations. Aside from a few initial uploads of flowers, all of their other uploads have been personal notes about their novel theory of antigravity (or something like that), despite a previous warning about out-of-scope uploads. Belbury (talk) 08:37, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

e.g. File:Robert Steeple broon.png and File:X Energy change.jpg. Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 08:43, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

User:Fdinpa

• Fdinpa (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user

Likely a sock of the indeffed Fdinpo (talk · contribs). Both of the accounts are reverting the version at File:Somaliland (orthographic projection).svg. Thanks. Tvpuppy (talk) 09:50, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

You should have gone to ANV ngl Whyiseverythingalreadyused (t · c · he/him) 10:10, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

@Whyiseverythingalreadyused: "ngl"?   — 🇺🇦Jeff G. ツ please ping or talk to me🇺🇦 15:59, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

@Whyiseverythingalreadyused You're right, I can see this user have repeated their problematic behavior after this report. Next time if I encounter other socks of this user, it's probably a better idea go to AN/V instead. Thanks. Tvpuppy (talk) 16:06, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

 Done. I blocked the user indefinitely. Taivo (talk) 20:45, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

Elison Pokhrel

• User: Elison Pokhrel (talk · contributions · Move log · block log · uploads · Abuse filter log) block user
• Reasons for reporting: After being blocked for 3 months, the user abused TPA in Special:Diff/1205342860.

  — 🇺🇦Jeff G. ツ please ping or talk to me🇺🇦 16:28, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

 Done. I reblocked the user without talkpage access. Taivo (talk) 20:39, 29 April 2026 (UTC)