These limits are in place:
- Per 180 days, you can only give 1 flag of each type to a given user. So you can't give someone multiple written-contract-violation flags in 180 days, for example.
- Globally, per year you can only create 1 flag per activity point you have, but at least 1/year.
Should the bold part be adjusted? Currently, many users can do this:
Forum dickhead Hatch Support has been busy making flags:
Considering only ~800 Flags have been created in 4 months, I don't think it's necessary to give any single user the ability to create 1 flag per activity point. 1 in 50 would work too, and it would could prevented cases like the one above, in which a low-ranking user creates many Flags.
Currently I am aware of only (EDITED)
two three users that have actively abused the flag system by creating a mass of flags. (flag spam abuse)
Korner (banned)
Hatch Support
(EDITED) Alex LZ Saver
Considering that Theymos made it clear that creating or supporting a false flag is "crystal clear abuse" I don't expect too many to take that path.
Creating or supporting a scammer flag is actively affirming a set of pretty clear fact-statements. If someone knowingly supports a flag containing incorrect fact-statements, then that is crystal-clear abuse, and I will seek to have such people removed from DT ASAP. People who are habitually wrong, even not knowingly, should also be removed.
But it might be better for the creation of flags to be tied to merit rather than activity. Or have some limiting mechanism that if previous flags are unsupported or heavily opposed that no further flags can be created by that user.
But spammers and scammers will always find new ways. It is easier to detect and counter flags made by one account than from hundreds of sockpuppet accounts.
Without DT support those flags don't show anyway.
Blatantly false feedback or false flags given by scammers are like a medal or award to a scambuster.
