A little background.
I run a bot that posts informative links to new users. Tips and tricks. 8 out of 10 New users would actually upvote the comments as well as others. On average the tips and tricks post would get 1-4 upvotes.
There are other bots that post memes and the same thing over and over however those belong to someone else. Most of my bots just vote in the background. I do have the most bots however, by a long shot.
A few users decided to target my bot by downvoting everything they could find, fine that is their right. Im not in favor of downvoting however I decided to return the favor. What ensued was panic, they didnt like it so much ;)
On to the juicy details.....
Steemit Devs start censoring certain downvotes from showing up on the steemit.com front end.
That didnt take long lol... I figured with enough encouragement it could be shown that the notion of steemit being free, open and decentralized was like most others that make the same claim... complete bullshit.
Here is an example of a user that decided target me and had the favor returned:
Before you hate on me, I could have put a lot more on him. Also each DV (downvote) was only at .1% strength. Just enough to tag his ass back.
Notice all of those downvotes? Ok.
Here is what the public will see:
Here is another example:
Notice the downvotes? Ok.
Here is what the public will see:
Example of downvotes NOT being censored:
Notice the downvotes? Ok.
Working Normally I see:
These are just a few examples of something that has taken place site wide.
For those that dont understand the implications and instead say "Good!", you will do well using steemit Im sure. Just keep locking that SP in so you can maximize your rewards ;)
Sometimes people feel good downvoting something they dont want to see, dont agree with or dont like. Its human nature They get a little crazy and target dv whatever they choose. Thats fine. I support their right to do so. Dont cry cry when the favor is returned though.
Conclusion:
Seems the steemit devs have decided who is right in that situation and who isnt, thats fine.
I also applaud their decision to censor some dv's and not others. Its a step in the right direction of removing downvotes altogether. It also shows that the notion steemit is "free and decentralized without moderation" is the complete bullshit it was always goiong to end up being.