CoinDesk Podcast Network BITCOIN SEASON 2: Filters Are Futile
Sep 6, 2025
In the latest discussion, hosts tackle the futile attempts to filter Bitcoin, emphasizing that purity demands may harm the network. The debate over JPEGS in blocks sparks passionate opinions, exposing the clash between censorship resistance and network efficiency. Listeners learn about fee dynamics, transaction censorship, and how the Bitcoin ecosystem navigates these challenges. The conversation also dives into community controversies surrounding core changes, highlighting ongoing struggles within the Bitcoin community regarding data inclusion.
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Arbitrary Data Is Asymmetrically Hard To Stop
- Arbitrary data in Bitcoin is an asymmetric cat-and-mouse problem that cannot be fully prevented by simple filters.
- Will Foxley explains that as long as arbitrary data can be encoded, determined actors can evade censorship with complex schemes.
Censorship Requires Hashpower And Infrastructure Control
- Bitcoin's censorship resistance requires strong decentralization of mining and relay behavior to be effective.
- Will argues that a state would need overwhelming control of hash rate and infrastructure to reliably censor transactions.
Fees, Not Morality, Throttle Spam
- Bitcoin's primary spam defense is a fee market combined with proof-of-work, not content policing.
- Fees scale with transaction size and urgency, disincentivizing cheap mass uploads of arbitrary data.