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UnfinishedProjects

Lemmy/Piefed Mastodon Codeberg
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  3. How should Lemmy & Piefed handle voting activity from banned/deleted accounts?

How should Lemmy & Piefed handle voting activity from banned/deleted accounts?

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  • otter@piefed.caO This user is from outside of this forum
    otter@piefed.caO This user is from outside of this forum
    [email protected]
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    Vote manipulation is getting more common. Some recent examples:

    • https://piefed.ca/c/comicstrips/p/527462/new-anti-bot-rules
    • https://lemmy.ca/post/57235699

    While the accounts were banned, the malicious voting activity stuck around.

    Should admins have the ability to discard votes, and if so, which admins? Should community mods have that ability? Can you think of any ways that tools like this could be abused?

    ? rimu@piefed.socialR john_t@piefed.eeJ L W 9 Replies Last reply
    0
    • otter@piefed.caO [email protected]

      Vote manipulation is getting more common. Some recent examples:

      • https://piefed.ca/c/comicstrips/p/527462/new-anti-bot-rules
      • https://lemmy.ca/post/57235699

      While the accounts were banned, the malicious voting activity stuck around.

      Should admins have the ability to discard votes, and if so, which admins? Should community mods have that ability? Can you think of any ways that tools like this could be abused?

      ? Offline
      ? Offline
      Guest
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      @[email protected] @[email protected] a good topic to developp 🙂

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • otter@piefed.caO [email protected]

        Vote manipulation is getting more common. Some recent examples:

        • https://piefed.ca/c/comicstrips/p/527462/new-anti-bot-rules
        • https://lemmy.ca/post/57235699

        While the accounts were banned, the malicious voting activity stuck around.

        Should admins have the ability to discard votes, and if so, which admins? Should community mods have that ability? Can you think of any ways that tools like this could be abused?

        rimu@piefed.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
        rimu@piefed.socialR This user is from outside of this forum
        [email protected]
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        When banning someone there is the option to remove their content too. It makes sense to include votes in that.

        dave@lemmy.nzD 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • otter@piefed.caO [email protected]

          Vote manipulation is getting more common. Some recent examples:

          • https://piefed.ca/c/comicstrips/p/527462/new-anti-bot-rules
          • https://lemmy.ca/post/57235699

          While the accounts were banned, the malicious voting activity stuck around.

          Should admins have the ability to discard votes, and if so, which admins? Should community mods have that ability? Can you think of any ways that tools like this could be abused?

          john_t@piefed.eeJ This user is from outside of this forum
          john_t@piefed.eeJ This user is from outside of this forum
          [email protected]
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          No one is here for the internet points. Why worry about imaginary karma?

          R ? G 3 Replies Last reply
          0
          • S This user is from outside of this forum
            S This user is from outside of this forum
            [email protected]
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            Not if you sort be New.

            S 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • S [email protected]

              Not if you sort be New.

              S This user is from outside of this forum
              S This user is from outside of this forum
              [email protected]
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              If we expect to be remotely large, sorting by new only is infeasible.

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • otter@piefed.caO [email protected]

                Vote manipulation is getting more common. Some recent examples:

                • https://piefed.ca/c/comicstrips/p/527462/new-anti-bot-rules
                • https://lemmy.ca/post/57235699

                While the accounts were banned, the malicious voting activity stuck around.

                Should admins have the ability to discard votes, and if so, which admins? Should community mods have that ability? Can you think of any ways that tools like this could be abused?

                L This user is from outside of this forum
                L This user is from outside of this forum
                [email protected]
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                As much as it pains me, I think the only solution to vote manipulation is to disable downvotes. Mind you, I don’t like it - I think downvotes are useful in a healthy self-governing community - but here’s my rationale as to why it’s the only solution:

                • The goal of negative vote manipulation is to remove visibility from content. For that, the first few hours of the post’s or comment’s lifetime are critical. Sure, a mod can remove the downvotes, but it would likely be done after the content’s attention window is over, so the damage would be done. [1]
                • Positive brigading (artificial boosting of content) is another problem, but out of scope of this post. I consider it to be in the “dealing with spam” category.
                1. As I’m writing this, it comes to mind that perhaps we can selectively disable downvotes? Just like some instances don’t allow fresh accounts to post, perhaps something similar can be done for downvoting. Maybe it can also be extended to accounts below a certain up- to downvote ratio, to avoid mass downvoters.
                W R ? ? B 5 Replies Last reply
                0
                • L [email protected]

                  As much as it pains me, I think the only solution to vote manipulation is to disable downvotes. Mind you, I don’t like it - I think downvotes are useful in a healthy self-governing community - but here’s my rationale as to why it’s the only solution:

                  • The goal of negative vote manipulation is to remove visibility from content. For that, the first few hours of the post’s or comment’s lifetime are critical. Sure, a mod can remove the downvotes, but it would likely be done after the content’s attention window is over, so the damage would be done. [1]
                  • Positive brigading (artificial boosting of content) is another problem, but out of scope of this post. I consider it to be in the “dealing with spam” category.
                  1. As I’m writing this, it comes to mind that perhaps we can selectively disable downvotes? Just like some instances don’t allow fresh accounts to post, perhaps something similar can be done for downvoting. Maybe it can also be extended to accounts below a certain up- to downvote ratio, to avoid mass downvoters.
                  W This user is from outside of this forum
                  W This user is from outside of this forum
                  [email protected]
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  I suppose that would address only a part of the issue and there are other, less intrusive ways to mitigate the effects of malicious early down voting. For instance, early down votes could be weighed less.

                  C 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • otter@piefed.caO [email protected]

                    Vote manipulation is getting more common. Some recent examples:

                    • https://piefed.ca/c/comicstrips/p/527462/new-anti-bot-rules
                    • https://lemmy.ca/post/57235699

                    While the accounts were banned, the malicious voting activity stuck around.

                    Should admins have the ability to discard votes, and if so, which admins? Should community mods have that ability? Can you think of any ways that tools like this could be abused?

                    W This user is from outside of this forum
                    W This user is from outside of this forum
                    [email protected]
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    It depends on the reason for banning, no? If the account was banned because it is a bot, it makes sense to remove all their activity including votes.
                    However, if the account was banned for misbehaviour, I think it makes more sense to remove only the offending posts and directly associated votes. E.g. all votes by the offending account in the thread in which the offence took place

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • robottoaster@mander.xyzR This user is from outside of this forum
                      robottoaster@mander.xyzR This user is from outside of this forum
                      [email protected]
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      Downvotes don’t seem to be much of a factor in post visibility, at least in scaled mode?

                      S 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • C This user is from outside of this forum
                        C This user is from outside of this forum
                        [email protected]
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        I would give you an Insightful vote but I don’t have any left. /s

                        Jokes aside, I like both limiting number of votes per day (or otherwise) and having different kinds of votes. The reason why something is up/down voted can make for a better discussion. But I am agnositc towards renewing votes bases on engagement. On one hand, it would increase engagement, and on the other hand, it could scare lurkers away from otherwise upvoting good content.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • G This user is from outside of this forum
                          G This user is from outside of this forum
                          [email protected]
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          This! Lemmy/Piefed needs metamoderation.

                          The fact that scores were bounded to a predefined range ([-1, 5]) helped a lot, too.

                          D 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • W [email protected]

                            I suppose that would address only a part of the issue and there are other, less intrusive ways to mitigate the effects of malicious early down voting. For instance, early down votes could be weighed less.

                            C This user is from outside of this forum
                            C This user is from outside of this forum
                            [email protected]
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            Or disabled until a certain number of upvotes are reached. It could potentially be disabled again of upvotes falls down under the threshold again. Or just have them time gated.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • otter@piefed.caO [email protected]

                              Vote manipulation is getting more common. Some recent examples:

                              • https://piefed.ca/c/comicstrips/p/527462/new-anti-bot-rules
                              • https://lemmy.ca/post/57235699

                              While the accounts were banned, the malicious voting activity stuck around.

                              Should admins have the ability to discard votes, and if so, which admins? Should community mods have that ability? Can you think of any ways that tools like this could be abused?

                              kolanaki@pawb.socialK This user is from outside of this forum
                              kolanaki@pawb.socialK This user is from outside of this forum
                              [email protected]
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              Do away with voting altogether and force people to think for themselves instead of just following the easily manipulated herd. Always sort by New Comments with no other options so the only things at the top are active discussions.

                              This also would make it so lurkers can’t influence the conversations they don’t actively participate in.

                              S N 2 Replies Last reply
                              0
                              • john_t@piefed.eeJ [email protected]

                                No one is here for the internet points. Why worry about imaginary karma?

                                R This user is from outside of this forum
                                R This user is from outside of this forum
                                [email protected]
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                It’s literally how what you see is regulated. If a company X wanted to hide products from company Y, they could make bots to auto-downvote Y products and upvotes X products.

                                Granted, I feel like more commonly vote manipulation is done for geopolitical reasons rather than astroturfing

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • L [email protected]

                                  As much as it pains me, I think the only solution to vote manipulation is to disable downvotes. Mind you, I don’t like it - I think downvotes are useful in a healthy self-governing community - but here’s my rationale as to why it’s the only solution:

                                  • The goal of negative vote manipulation is to remove visibility from content. For that, the first few hours of the post’s or comment’s lifetime are critical. Sure, a mod can remove the downvotes, but it would likely be done after the content’s attention window is over, so the damage would be done. [1]
                                  • Positive brigading (artificial boosting of content) is another problem, but out of scope of this post. I consider it to be in the “dealing with spam” category.
                                  1. As I’m writing this, it comes to mind that perhaps we can selectively disable downvotes? Just like some instances don’t allow fresh accounts to post, perhaps something similar can be done for downvoting. Maybe it can also be extended to accounts below a certain up- to downvote ratio, to avoid mass downvoters.
                                  R This user is from outside of this forum
                                  R This user is from outside of this forum
                                  [email protected]
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  Vote manipulation is done in both directions

                                  L 1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • coelacanth@feddit.nuC This user is from outside of this forum
                                    coelacanth@feddit.nuC This user is from outside of this forum
                                    [email protected]
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #17

                                    I like this a lot.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • ? Offline
                                      ? Offline
                                      Guest
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #18

                                      Piefed has some comment emojis available. Not sure how they show up on other instances.

                                      I used a "no smoking’ one on your comment. But did i use it properly or just to screw around?

                                      4 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • john_t@piefed.eeJ [email protected]

                                        No one is here for the internet points. Why worry about imaginary karma?

                                        ? Offline
                                        ? Offline
                                        Guest
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #19

                                        Well, I’m here for the internet points. I’m a hoarder, so I like collecting stuff, internet points included.

                                        robottoaster@mander.xyzR 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • L [email protected]

                                          As much as it pains me, I think the only solution to vote manipulation is to disable downvotes. Mind you, I don’t like it - I think downvotes are useful in a healthy self-governing community - but here’s my rationale as to why it’s the only solution:

                                          • The goal of negative vote manipulation is to remove visibility from content. For that, the first few hours of the post’s or comment’s lifetime are critical. Sure, a mod can remove the downvotes, but it would likely be done after the content’s attention window is over, so the damage would be done. [1]
                                          • Positive brigading (artificial boosting of content) is another problem, but out of scope of this post. I consider it to be in the “dealing with spam” category.
                                          1. As I’m writing this, it comes to mind that perhaps we can selectively disable downvotes? Just like some instances don’t allow fresh accounts to post, perhaps something similar can be done for downvoting. Maybe it can also be extended to accounts below a certain up- to downvote ratio, to avoid mass downvoters.
                                          ? Offline
                                          ? Offline
                                          Guest
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #20

                                          Gog disabled down votes on its forum and now there’s a bot up voting every reply in derailed threads.
                                          Mass up voting can also be a problem in creative hands.

                                          1 Reply Last reply
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