It obviously was intentional to lie to the user. We're just discussing the line at which intentional lies for selfish reasons can be called malicious.
Have you considered when the shadow-ban is triggered by an automated moderation system based on heuristics or ML which Google is known to use prolifically across their product range?
They aren't like baby killers or anything, but they are certainly prioritizing their wallet over your consumer good and even safety.
Imagine if HN charged to post and shadow-banned users.