Why can't I downvote some comments on Hacker News?
Hacker News restricts downvoting based on user karma thresholds and algorithmic anti-abuse measures rather than allowing it universally across all threads. This lack of transparency causes users to encounter random limitations where some comments show the downvote button and others do not, fueling suspicions of platform interference.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Checking lists of undocumented platform featuresDid this help you?
- 2Emailing staff using the site contact linkDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“today I noticed, in a topic I had no comments in, I was only allowed to downvote about 20% of the comments. The rest presented to downvote button.”source ↗
“The conspiracy voice in me thought I was only allowed to downvote things the staff at HN wanted downvoted.”source ↗
“What's the actual rule? Why were most comments off limits to downvote?”source ↗
“I've seen it where some comments I can't downvote, but others in the same thread I can. Additionally, some I can't reply to either.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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