It wasn't the upvote freedom that got you in trouble it was the fact that once you voted freely you were buying upvotes for your free upvote choices.

Which brings us back full circle to the whole debate about whether another front end wouldn't be better (or anyone gaining leverage/power to influence the system)....which you are under the impression would ultimately lead to a better run system. To which I say in life there are things that start out sounding good but they don't always end up staying that way....and especially when it comes to people who have already entitled themselves to play against the same rules that apply to others which gives them a greater advantages over others. There is nothing stopping them from gaining control and even further granting themselves an advantage over others. Granted the changes here are still along those same lines just that you have to join a tribe or community to get the advantage over bid botting oneself to that advantage, the difference is it's up to the community to keep people in check who aren't abiding by the other rules, which is to produce content of some sort of quality/thought(s) behind it. With APPICS though you are completely shut down, you are not allowed to criticize their low grade efforts...that's not freedom and that's not a front end/system I see making better choices in the future.