I have always thought of downvotes as this chains ability to self police itself.
Abuse, illegal, scams....All for the downvotes.
I'm not a fan of people downvoting because they disagree with someone or want to remove rewards. I've seen it scare away really good content creators and caused more drama than it's worth.
I know it's not a popular opinion, but it's how I've treated downvotes in my 7 years of being here.
I think most people don't see all the scam accounts that have their rewards removed. People are free to DV as they see fit and a few will be nasty about it. I hate to see good people chased away. I think the system got adjusted so that we can give more up- than downvotes.
This site gives some insight into what goes on. I think there are a few long-running feuds.