Leaked textual content messages about Knots chief Luke Dashjr’s alleged plan for a Bitcoin arduous fork sparked a media frenzy inside the Bitcoin neighborhood late yesterday afternoon.
Tech outlet TheRage reported that Dashjr would take into account quickly hardforking the blockchain, if essential, to guard node operators from CSAM that may be simpler to relay across the Bitcoin community after Core model 30 (v30) modifications mempool defaults.
Nonetheless, Dashjr, who runs Knots, an offshoot of the world’s dominant Bitcoin node software program, Bitcoin Core, has vehemently denied these claims.
Reactions to Dashjr’s alleged plan have been rapid. Nonetheless, regardless of TheRage’s reporting, it wasn’t independently clear whether or not Dashjr really advocates for any arduous fork in any respect.
Shortly earlier than TheRage’s article, Dashjr commented on the opportunity of a tough fork in usually ambiguous phrases. “If we have community support, no fork is necessary. If we don’t, no fork is possible,” he posted.
Senior Bitcoin developer Adam Again responded to the article, claiming he’d “heard unrelated from a number of contacts that OCEAN, the mining pool based by Dashjr, was contacting swimming pools with authorized theories to attempt push their company counsel into moderating content material.
“That connects with and looks much worse in context of leaked, Luke Dashjr instant messages in this article.”
‘There is no hard fork’
Regardless of this, TheRage notes that he hasn’t publicly denied writing the messages obtained by the publication.
He has additionally claimed elsewhere that, “The only ones proposing hardforks are Core30 apologists.”
Bitcoin Core’s controversial October replace to model 30 will introduce an accommodative change to OP_RETURN mempool defaults that can ease arbitrary information storage.
Many Knots node operators, together with its lead developer, Dashjr, oppose Core v30.
Protos reached out to Dashjr to verify the authenticity of the textual content messages and whether or not or not he would advocate for a tough fork, however didn’t obtain a response previous to publication time.
TheRage stands by its reporting
TheRage has mentioned that the screenshots’ authenticity has been verified through video proof.
Neither Dashjr nor his colleague Bitcoin Mechanic have claimed that the messages are pretend, regardless of their disagreement with TheRage’s characterization.
Giacomo Zucco, an investor in OCEAN, the mining pool that Dashjr and Mechanic co-operate, believes that the screenshots are most likely genuine. TheRage has stood by its reporting, emphasizing the non-denial of the textual content messages by Dashjr and Mechanic. BitMEX Analysis reposted that emphasis to its personal followers.
EDIT: 20:15 UTC, Sept 26: We’ve up to date this piece to incorporate extra context on this story and added third-party citations from high-profile business members. Eliminated claims that TheRage withheld the total context of the screenshotted dialog.
