

Ask HN: Should flagging be public? - jgrahamc

HN&#x27;s flagging mechanism is available to users who&#x27;ve been here a while. The guidelines say &quot;If you think something is spam or offtopic, flag it by going to its page and clicking on the &quot;flag&quot; link.&quot;<p>Having been here for a while I begin to wonder if having the usernames of people who flag a story listed next to the story as a deterrent against flagging things an individual &#x27;doesn&#x27;t like&#x27; as opposed to flagging something that is spam or really off topic.<p>WDHNT?
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minimaxir
This is a definite no. Public flagging opens up flaggers to retribution. Then
no one will flag at all and the system breaks down.

The deterrent to flagging too much is losing flagging privileges. (and I'm
speaking from experience)

