Thread:The Tiger's Roar/@comment-35243178-20180820181943/@comment-30450022-20180821225531

A sockpuppet is an online identity used for purposes of deception. The term, a reference to the manipulation of a simple hand puppet made from a sock, originally referred to a false identity assumed by a member of an Internet community who spoke to, or about, themselves while pretending to be another person.[1]

The term now includes other misleading uses of online identities, such as those created to praise, defend or support a person or organization,[2]  to manipulate public opinion,[3]  or to circumvent a suspension or ban from a website. A significant difference between the use of a pseudonym[4]  and the creation of a sockpuppet is that the sockpuppet poses as an independent third-party unaffiliated with the puppeteer. Sockpuppets are unwelcome in many online communities and may be blocked.