Bitcoin is known as a censorship-resistant network. Normally, this characteristic is presented as one of its basic selling points. The Bitcoin dev community is stirred with a heated debate over the imminent removal of a spam filter that limits non-monetary data to 83 bytes per block. Opponents claim it will allow the posting of child porn on-chain, effectively making Bitcoin illegal in most jurisdictions.
Summary
- “Spam wars” intensify: more and more people switch from Bitcoin Core to Bitcoin Knots, warning that the Bitcoin blockchain may turn into a home for child pornography.
- The problem with CP was brought up years ago, before the streamlined plans to remove the spam filter, so the issue was dismissed back then.
- Proponents of the change cite new abilities as the reasons to implement v30; it would open new opportunities: people will be able to store new types of data on-chain, while opponents would be able to use a different version of Bitcoin Core or other node software.
Bitcoin Core vs. Bitcoin Knots
Blockchain data is monitored and verified by the nodes. Each block may contain up to 83 bytes for non-monetary data (for instance, images). This opportunity is possible via an OP_RETURN script. Some call it a spam filter as they believe it helps the Bitcoin network (BTC) to be used precisely for monetary transactions. OP_RETURN prevents the network from getting flooded with arbitrary data (non-monetary data). Spam filter removal opponents say the change may result in network congestion.
However, some developers are advocating for the removal of a spam filter, thus expanding the arbitrary data limit to around 2 megabytes per block. The reason for this change, cited by these developers, is dismantling restrictions and censorship. It opens gates for various use cases like sharing JPEG files, videos, documents, etc.
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Author: Alexey Borovets
