Online, it came to be used to refer to a false identity assumed by a member of an internet community who spoke to, or about, themselves while pretending to be another person. It is a reference to the manipulation of a simple hand puppet made from a sock, and is often used to refer to alternative online identities or user accounts used for purposes of deception. In Internet terms, sock puppets are online identities used for disguised activity by the operator.Ī sock puppet is defined as a person whose actions are controlled by another.
