I really don't like getting involved in arguments online - In fact I have put a lot of time into learning how to defuse and avoid them. So I am not intending to start an argument here, rather I am intending to invite discussion and maybe to learn something.
I was pointed earlier to a censored topic that I found interesting for a number of reasons, it touches on downvoting in Steemit, plus on a possible high profile scammer using Steemit to potentially mislead people and get richer in the process.
I posted recently about the problems with downvote censorship and made some suggestions as to how to improve Steemit's process of handling the situation and so I take notice when I see posts that have been downvoted and 'hidden', especially when they appear to contain content that really shouldn't be being hidden and where individuals may have a vested interest in keeping the post hidden. At least Steemit has a mechanism where we can examine the hidden posts, unlike Facebook and Youtube/G+ - so points scored for Steemit there, for sure!
In the censored post it was alleged in some detail (via the provided external links) that Craig Grant and his Girlfriend were and are involved in organised internet fraud/scams involving organised gangs of scammers from Africa. The case came to light after an older man lost his life savings to a gang in Africa who used Craig Grant's girlfriend's pictures to pretend to be her and the older gentleman then killed himself. Craig's girlfriend (possibly directed by a lawyer) opened a court case to attempt to sue match.com for $1.5 BILLION USD because her images were being used by scammers!
It is quite a long story and I suggest reading through the full details via the links that were provided:
http://www.davinsden.com/avalos/
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miami-model-yuliana-avalos-sued-matchcom-for-15-billion-but-now-shes-taking-criticism-too-6394189
This is a bizarre story, but it is made more bizarre by the screen grabs from Craig's Facebook page in which he is seen to openly admit to being in business with the African scamming teams and deliberately using his girlfriend's photos for profit. I appreciate that sarcasm doesn't travel well online, but I can't name many people who would incriminate themselves in a major crime just for a sarcastic joke. His girlfriend then claimed that Craig is seriously mentally ill... and so from that we can infer that he therefore cannot be held responsible for his actions in a court of law? I have no interest in judging anyone here, but from the stated evidence it appears that he is either a career criminal conman or so mentally imbalanced that he cannot be relied upon in court. Either way, I suggest at the very least to consider carefully any financial interactions that may be offered with or through him.
Looking through the list of upvotes for the post, I can see that craig grant upvoted the post - so apparently he's ok with it too!
Downvote Censoring
Despite the intrigue of the story that was censored - I am also interested in the mechanics of the downvoting process. I can see that the post received only one single downvote and over 40 upvotes - yet it is still censored on Steemit. I am wondering why that is and my only conclusion is that the account that posted the story is in minus reputation figures - apparently because someone has set a voting bot to automatically downvote all of his/her posts. While I totally disagree with auto downvoting someone, since it is not really any better than posting spam - I can appreciate that some account owners are so annoying that you might be motivated to do whatever you can to get rid of them!
So I would like to know if anyone here can explain the cause of the super powerful downvote?
Thanks
Wishing you well!
Ura Soul
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