Bitcoin Core Blocks ‘Data Carrier’ Feature Amidst ‘Spam Wars’ Controversy

The Bitcoin Core developers have announced the removal of support for the “-datacarrier” argument through the merging of pull request #32406. The move, expected to be included in an upcoming October release, addresses a key dispute in the cryptocurrency community.

The ‘Spam Wars’ Begin

The conflict centers around Bitcoin Core’s transaction relay policy and the use of OP_RETURN for non-financial data inscription. Core dev Peter Todd’s initiative has ignited a debate over whether Bitcoin should remain committed to its original purpose as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system.

Technical Underpinnings

OP_RETURN allows embedding arbitrary data in Bitcoin transactions. While initially limited to 80 bytes to discourage spam, this restriction was lifted in May following a network upgrade. The upcoming change removes the deprecated “-datacarrier” argument, compelling future Bitcoin Core users to relay non-financial transactions.

“This is not endorsing or condoning non-financial data usage, but accepting that as a censorship-resistant system, Bitcoin can and will be used for use cases not everyone agrees on.”

Divided Opinions

The decision has sparked mixed reactions from the community. Critics argue this move opens doors for blockchain spam and strays from Bitcoin’s original function as currency. Some developers, including Luke Dashjr and Samson Mow, warn this could weaken decentralization by increasing blockchain bloat.

Developer Stance

According to the Core developers:

“Being free to run any software is the network’s primary safeguard against coercion.”

“We can’t force anyone to run code they don’t like,” explained Bitcoin security expert Jameson Lopp in support.

Community Response

The pull request received 64 upvotes and 93 downvotes from reviewers, signaling general opposition to the change. Critics fear non-financial data will consume valuable block space and increase transaction costs.

Looking Ahead

The ongoing dispute highlights deep divisions in the Bitcoin community. Some predict potential forks to create separate chains for financial and non-financial use cases, while others anticipate new node software offering user choice in transaction filtering.

Despite warnings of a schism within the ecosystem, Bitcoin Core developers remain steadfast in their position.