OSNews

There's no issue, AP. When certain posts are modded to -5, they get *automatically* locked (most of the time, it doesn't even take an admin to autolock a post, the system knows when a comment is that bad based on certain factors). It's always been that way, and it that certainly doesn't make a mockery of anything.

This is, and always has been, an admin controlled site. So, although we allow our readers to do 95%+ of the moderation, some comments we intentionally lock down. And in those cases, I don't think we need to justify our actions.

That said, I'll remind you, it's been this way for 3 years now, and no one has complained because it wasn't transparent. If it's only a problem now that we've shared more of how the site works, that's certainly a convincing reason to lock it down further and keep our readers in the dark.

"That said, I'll remind you, it's been this way for 3 years now, and no one has complained because it wasn't transparent."

Then I am missing something, because till today I had always been able to mod up a post with a -5, and I did it quite often.

It's a rather asinine thing to do. "We know what's best for you."

Repeat after me: The Internet is NOT a democracy. Moderators are not fascists or dictators. Your civil rights are not in danger.