A sock puppet is an alternative account used deceptively. Some examples that clearly violate this policy would be using two usernames to vote more than once in a poll, or to circumvent other Wikipedia policies.
All Wikipedians may register a username from which they may edit. This account will, over time, build up an edit history and become that person's Wikipedia "identity", helping others to interact with the person and understand their interests and point of view.
Wikipedians prize their use of consensus to determine issues and their assumption that most people are trying to help the project. Sock puppets are used to counter these prized features by creating the illusion of greater support for a viewpoint and evading sanctions.
Illustration credit: Strobridge & Co. Lith, unknown
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