Context: I use Liftoff as my mobile client. I have accounts on blahaj.zone and lemmy.world. When I’m logged in on blahaj.zone on desktop, there is no downvote button. It appears on Liftoff.
I understand that downvote-disabled instances don’t accept downvotes from downvote-enabled federated instances, but does this work in reverse? Can beehaw or blahaj.zone accounts downvote content on lemmy.world, etc?
What reason would there be to disable downvotes?
It’s vital to filter out the garbage
It’s a top level config option and many instances do it.
It can also be used as a form of semi-covert harassment. For example, in an early instance, every bit of content posted by or in support of transgender people would get hit by a barrage of downvotes from brigaders using otherwise inactive accounts. Hard to moderate that without just disabling downvotes entirely.