- Bitcoin Core v30 will raise the default size limit for extra transaction data from 83 bytes to 100,000 bytes.
- Critics warn that the new limit could make it easier to store and share illegal or harmful content using the Bitcoin network.
- The Knots community plans to keep the current lower limit to avoid these risks.
- Experts argue that the change has little to do with Bitcoin’s original purpose as peer-to-peer money.
- The update could increase the risk of distributing illegal materials or Malware through Bitcoin nodes.
Bitcoin Core, the main software for running nodes on the Bitcoin network, plans to raise the default limit for non-transactional data stored in the network starting with version 30 (v30) next month. This change will allow transactions to include up to 100,000 bytes—about 100 kilobytes—of additional data by default, compared to the previous limit of 83 bytes.
Members of the Knots community, including its leader who goes by Bitcoin Mechanic, strongly oppose the change. In statements on social media, Bitcoin Mechanic argued that the increase in data size, a jump by 1,200 times, could make it easy for anyone running an updated node to unknowingly host and relay illegal content, such as prohibited adult material, or even malware. The Knots community has announced it will keep the old data cap in place.
According to Bitcoin Mechanic, “Getting other people to store [illegal content] for you is vastly preferable to storing or Hosting it yourself. Particularly if the storage medium is widely distributed.” The majority of Bitcoin transactions have stayed well below the current 83-byte cap, but changing the limit could open the door to far larger files being transmitted across the network.
Up to now, Core and Knots have used the OP_RETURN feature—a part of the software that lets users add extra data to transactions—with strict filters. These filters have discouraged widespread storage of unrelated or harmful files on the blockchain. The new update relaxes those filters, which some fear could make it possible to use the Bitcoin network as a channel for illegal content or software threats.
Bitcoin Mechanic and others emphasized there is little connection between these larger data allowances and Bitcoin’s intended role as a decentralized payment system. “Changing defaults to accommodate larger illegal files or other forms of reprehensible content is morally indefensible,” he said.
Possession of illegal content, particularly certain types of adult material, is a crime in many countries and can lead to prison time. While courts have sometimes been lenient in cases of accidental storage, critics argue that prevention should be a top priority. The Knots community has also warned about the risk of Bitcoin nodes being used to spread malicious files, raising concerns about security if arbitrary data were to spread widely.
For now, the Knots community will maintain the smaller data size to reduce these risks. The Core development team is scheduled to enact the new OP_RETURN limits in October, as previously announced (source).
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