You're right, it is, but there are some folks who want nothing more than to burn down what you built. In the real world those people get physically dealt with, but in the virtual world where there's no means of physically restraining someone, what's your alternative?

It's certainly a harsher punishment than normal banning, but I don't see why it would be that different. Assuming you have a user posting something bannable and always sign it with their initials. But whenever they are banned they come back under a different name and continue to do bannable offenses. That is a good reason for shadowbanning imo.

Though any first offense should always be normal-banned imo.

All these American tech firms shadow ban people. The practice is very abusive, but it is also very American.