Very good questions. It doesn’t create a barrier for entry as people who are not whitelisted can still use Minnowbooster, they just won’t enjoy the additional benefits that the whitelist brings. In time new Steemians who produce quality content will attract attention and receive an invite from those who actively curate the whitelist. And if someone on the whitelist begins to abuse the service, they can still be banned if someone follows our normal abuse reporting procedure through our Discord support chat. Being on the whitelist does not offer special protection from that.