I just got this message:
You have attempted to edit a page, either by clicking the "edit this page"
tab or by following a red link.
Your user name or IP address has been _blocked_
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Blocking_policy) by _David Gerard_
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:David_Gerard) .
The reason given is:
Autoblocked because your IP address has been recently used by
"_Ugabogaimasuuuukpoopit@!_
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Ugabogaimasuuuukpoopit@!&…)
". The reason given for Ugabogaimasuuuukpoopit@!'s
block is: "massive sockpuppetry (A1sdf sockpuppet)".
You can _email David Gerard_
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Emailuser/David_Gerard) or one of the other
_administrators_
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_administrators) to discuss the block.
You may also
edit _your user talk page_ (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Mytalk) if
you wish. If you believe that our _blocking policy_
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Blocking_policy) was violated, you may discuss
the block
publicly on the _WikiEN-l mailing list_
(
http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l) . Note that you may not use the
"email this user" feature unless
you have a Wikipedia account and a valid email address registered in your _user
preferences_ (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Preferences) .
Your IP address is 64.12.117.8. Please include this address, along with your
username, in any queries you make.
Okay. But this isn't my IP address.
Here we go again: collateral damage.
This hasn't happened for a couple of weeks, but it happens frequently enough
-- often three and four times a week: I get blocked as the result of
someone else's conduct. When I try to edit, I get the "User is blocked"
message --
but the I.P. address is never my own.
If this follows the usual pattern, I'll be blocked several more times this
week and the next and the next.
How does this happen?
There also have been instances when I've been blocked from editing a page
(that remains open to edit for other users; it's not locked down), but can edit
elsewhere.
I've been told that such a thing is impossible, yet it's happened repeatedly.
How does this happen? Is there something I or someone else can do to
prevent it from occurring again?
dcv