RE: False Flagging - Need a down vote button - Stop Censorship
I wish I would have found your post before it was already two days old! ...Not that a minnow such as myself could have upvoted and added any steem value to your article anyways. :-P
You hit the nail on the head, my friend. Flagging NEEDS to be about what is truly illegal or against terms of service - and (again) I agree that anything allegedly flagged must then be checked by a real person before penalties or censorship occurs.
This IS a touchy issue, and the best solution I see is accountability in the maximum. If certain users are flagging things they disagree with - it should EASILY be accessible to see such by viewing that person's profile. If there is a False-Flag-Monster on the loose, it needs to be seen and addressed as soon as possible (in the best cases: by the community itself and NOT moderation).
In fact (IMHO), there needs to be more power for the community itself to determine what is of value and quality - rather than a single user determining what is or isn't... However, I get it - insomuch that the biggest contributors of value and quality should have more sway than those who are just watching on the sidelines... but, right now, it often seems like a good ol' boys club where "quality" is determined by a secret handshake and a nod of unspoken approval... And, if I wanted to participate in something like that, all I need to do is run for office in the United States of America... :-|
Great reply, I couldn't have said it better myself. It is a touchy subject, but I thought it needed to be addressed after my reputation went from a 61 to a 49 because I disagreed with a feminist in her "trending article" which amounted to a bunch of unsubstantiated whining. However because I am a "minnow" and she was a "whale" with many "whales" following her, I got "flagged" for disagreeing with her and my rep on here took a major hit for merely speaking my mind.
What really pissed me off, is one of those who "flagged" me to censor my opinions, was the guy who created the "Anonymous" account on here which, is absolutely ludicrous as "anonymous" is supposed to be against censorship. Guy is a fake and should not be allowed to associate with Anonymous in any way shape or form. Using his paid for steem power to censor anyone who spoke against this feminists article and flag everyone. He is what you describe as a false flag monster. The "Anonymous" user's actions on this steemit platform could not be further away from what "Anonymous" stands for and the ideology of why I am "Anonymous" which is to stand up for everyone's right to freedom of speech, even those I disagree with. I am contacting others who associate with Anonymous about this individual.
Despite more people upvoting my reply to her article. So 3 "whales" flagged me and 5 others upvoted the reply but because the "whales" disagreed the reply was censored, images removed and my reputation took a hit that I still haven't recovered from despite many upvotes since. 100% ridiculous. The feminists already are using censorship tactics on new platform because they can't win an argument.