Supply Shock Bitcoin Core vs. The World: Why It Can’t Be Shut Down | Peter Todd
Jul 3, 2025
Peter Todd, a Bitcoin core developer known for his innovative contributions since 2010, dives into the landscape of Bitcoin alternatives, particularly the rise of Bitcoin Knots. He discusses the implications of censorship, including the challenges of op_return limits and transaction filtering. The conversation touches on the community's role in governance, the complexities of scaling Bitcoin through Lightning Network, and the moral responsibility of miners. Todd's insights highlight the ongoing debates within the Bitcoin ecosystem and its resilience against external pressures.
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Bitcoin Nots Changes Mempool Policy
- Bitcoin Nots is a fork of Bitcoin Core that changes mempool policy, but not consensus rules.
- It tries to filter disliked transactions, but this doesn't change what ultimately gets recorded on the blockchain.
Satoshi Dice Censorship Attempt
- Luke Dash Jr. ran Bitcoin Nots censoring Satoshi Dice transactions and operated a mining pool that wouldn't mine those transactions.
- Other miners continued mining Satoshi Dice as normal, showing economic acceptance over censorship efforts.
Node Filtering Is Ineffective Alone
- Running a Bitcoin node like Bitcoin Nots itself doesn't prevent transactions from being mined.
- Miners willing to include the transaction will do so regardless of what individual nodes choose to filter out.