- Blockstream CEO Adam Back argues that a proposal to reduce Ordinals-like spam on Bitcoin, BIP-110, would damage the network’s credibility and is an attempt to push changes lacking consensus.
- The proposal seeks to temporarily shrink data stored in transactions, with nearly 7.5% of Bitcoin nodes signaling readiness, according to data.
- Opponents warn BIP-110 could freeze funds, while proponents of data transactions note they have contributed over $500 million in fees to Bitcoin’s security.
Blockstream CEO Adam Back publicly opposed a contentious Bitcoin network proposal on Sunday, warning it was a damaging “attack” on the cryptocurrency’s credibility. He rejected Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP-110), an attempt by developers to reduce “spam” transactions like those from Bitcoin Ordinals.
The proposal seeks to temporarily shrink transaction data capacity to curb arbitrary data like images and videos. Back, however, stated in a post that spam is merely an annoyance posing no real security threat.
“It’s a lynch mob attempt to push changes there is not consensus for,” he argued. This debate stems from Bitcoin Core developers removing an 80-byte limit on a key function in late October 2025.
Consequently, non-financial transactions flooded the network, sparking community division. Bitcoin Core’s node market share has since fallen from about 98% to 77.2%, with Bitcoin Knots rising to 22.7%.
Back also flagged that BIP-110 could theoretically freeze funds by rendering some transaction outputs unspendable. Pseudonymous developer Dathon Ohm acknowledged this risk but stated the proposal avoids affecting known use cases.
Meanwhile, proponents like Bitcoin Ordinals leader Leonidas argue such ecosystems have contributed over $500 million in fees to network security. This revenue is increasingly important as the mining subsidy halves.
However, data shows Bitcoin Ordinals activity has tanked from its peak. Miners collected nearly $10 million in fees on a single day in December 2023, but by the end of 2025, daily fees were consistently under $10,000.
✅ Follow BITNEWSBOT on Telegram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X.com, and Google News for instant updates.
