Hard forks to recover major frauds are also discussed in other crypto currencies, e.g. Ethereum has split due to this already (due to the “DAO” case).
In this special case I see the loss recovery potential, but that fraud would go on because a new account is easily created.
And who would decide on such a hard fork?
All users or the witnesses by vote? Or the developers without taking the users/witnesses opinion into account? Would all be willing to spend time with each case to make an educated decision? What would be done when a decision later turns out to be wrong?
Other items arise from deploying such measures to other cases, which is the next logical step when such a hard fork procedure is in place. Steemit is worldwide so which values system should apply?
Actually I don’t have answers to these questions myself. While I see great potential in Steemit as well as major unsolved issues (where this case is not even the worst one that may occur in my own opinion).
I fully understand that you are pissed, I would be pissed big time too. And it is great that you have shared your story and a discussion started from it!
Finally I would like to use this reply to ask everyone in this discussion to keep in mind that vigilante justice didn’t worked out very well in the past.