I have noticed a trend that user blocks are more and more “requested” for things that were accepted in past (i.e. not responding messages/empty changeset comments etc).

Although OSM claims to have 4,607,162 users [1] only 16,431 were editing during the past week [1]. On the other hand, I have counted roughly 1,800 user blocks [2]. I know that one user can receive multiple blocks. However, the proportion seems odd. Looking at the chart, I have two questions in mind. Altough the DWG creates regular reports, there is nothing about this in it.

Is it an erroneous assumption that the barriers for blocking users were lowered over the time? And is there a list like ignoring changeset comments is still above the level for being blocked but ignoring user messages isn’t?

What is the reason for publishing the stigma of a received user block on his/her profile page as well as in the “list of shame” [2] over a period of more than 8 years now? Does the limitation of purpose by the GDPR for data stored apply?

Thanks a lot

[1] https://www.openstreetmap.org/stats/data_stats.html

[2] manually counted http://www.openstreetmap.org/user_blocks, adjusted by ~130 for the Berlin train station user.