It's addressing a real problem: people (me included) seem to want a clean way to decrease a post's payout and right now, due to having on other way, they abuse the flag tool to achieve the goal.

The "Flag" symbol itself is already a symbol of overregulation, a psychological weapon to discourage natural and organic intervention when the payouts are too high. Calling the downvote a "flag" and abuse it as an instrument for castigation is already a sign of fear.

What you call the interface is a privately owned website.

While true, I am referring to it in its function as interface, not in is function as privately or otherwise owned website.

If you want these tools and Steemit.com fails to deliver them, just go and build them on your own website similar to Steemit.

With black jack and hookers, @innuendo, with black jack and hookers.