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Is it a PTB move to ban a user if their only activity in a community is downvoting posts? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Is it a PTB move ([email protected]) to ban a user if their only activity in a community is downvoting posts?

The behaviour baffles me a bit. If they dislike the majority of the posts in a community, why are they subscribed? Or if they are browsing by /all, why have they not blocked the community? Are they under the mistaken impression that Lemmy has an algorithm which uses downvotes as an indicator for "show me less of this"?

Has anyone else encountered a "serial downvoter" in any of their communities?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I doubt anyone would ever object to banning for the behaviour you described here. But unless I'm way off base, I don't think that's what OP is talking about.

What you're talking about is basically inauthentic behaviour. Maybe it's a bot, maybe it's a real person deliberately interfering with a community using sock puppet accounts. What I think OP is talking about is a real user using the platform in an essentially honest way, but which happens to involve downvoting all the posts from one community. There could be a few reasons behind that, such as the example OP described of a user who actually has no interest in ever seeing the community, but doesn't know how or doesn't think to block the community. On all other communities, their behaviour appears totally normal.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Ah. I don't think I've encountered that type of user yet. For the users I described in my comment, I give them a full instance ban. But In the case you describe, I think it'd be appropriate for a mod of the targeted community to ban them, but otherwise leave them be.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

In the case you describe, I think it'd be appropriate for a mod of the targeted community to ban them

I thought that at first too, but I recently thought of a counterexample, so I'm not so sure. See my top-level comment if you're interested.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

I agree that reaching out to a user like that and having them stop would be the best outcome. Though In the context of the thread, I don't think a mod who didn't reach out before banning would be a PTB (not that you're suggesting that, just elaborating my thoughts).