Hacker News Reader

That submission is so off-topic here, it wouldn't go anywhere.

Shadow banning exists because if you turn on show-dead and browse 10 threads, you'll come across 10 different users that are constantly posting unhinged drivel. Likely half of them are mentally ill. Shadow banning keeps these people unaware that no one is seeing their stuff so they don't go and create a new account and waste peoples' time flagging it again.

View on HN

Exactly. One persons shadow ban can mean thousands of others can communicate more effectively. It being a ‘dick move’ is entirely dependent on the context of what is being shadow banned and why.

Until you fall victim to it.

There should be higher "barriers to entry" (time-delay, additional a/a) before a new account can be used and it should cost karma to comment and post.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com