Bitcoin Community Divided Over Proposal to Remove Illicit Content from Blockchain
A contentious discussion debate has resurfaced in the Bitcoin community over the handling of non-financial data on its blockchain. In 2018, researchers discovered illicit content, including an embedded image and links to child abuse material, within the Bitcoin blockchain. Now, a proposal to retroactively alter the blockchain to remove such content has sparked a heated discussion debate.
At the heart of the controversy is a reported proposal by Bitcoin developer Luke Dashjr for a hard fork to create a 'trusted' committee. This committee would have the power to scrub illegal content from the coinmarketcap blockchain. However, the proposal has been met with strong opposition. Dan Edlebeck from Core DAO argues that Bitcoin is a 'sovereign-grade protocol' that should remain trustless and permissionless, opposing any attempt to control transactions.
Eneko Knörr from Stabolut shares a similar view, highlighting Bitcoin's censorship resistance as its paramount feature. Eyal Gruper from RITREK agrees, noting that Dashjr's idea of a multisig committee 'would break that neutrality' of Bitcoin. The discussion debate over Bitcoin's handling of non-financial data, including illicit content on-chain, has been ongoing for years, with the community split over its core decentralization ideals due to this proposed network upgrade.
It's important to note that Luke Dashjr himself has publicly denied these accusations, calling them slander. There are no specific individuals or organizations publicly named opposing his alleged proposal. The Guardian reported in 2018 that possession of the blockchain containing such content could be legally risky in some jurisdictions.
The proposed committee to alter the Bitcoin blockchain has sparked a fierce discussion debate, with some supporting the idea of removing illicit content and others dismissing it as a threat to Bitcoin's core principles. The community remains divided, with no clear consensus on how to address this contentious issue.
