00:00In a surprising turn, private messages have emerged suggesting that Bitcoin developer Luke
00:04Dasher is considering a hard fork and not to boost performance, not to add a feature,
00:07but to introduce retroactive censorship. This is a proposal that threatens one of
00:11the core tenets of Bitcoin, its immutable, permissionless ledger.
00:15To understand the gravity of this, let's rewind a bit.
00:18Luke Dasher is a maintainer of asterisk-asterisk, Bitcoin notes asterisk-asterisk,
00:22an alternative node implementation. Historically, attention has existed
00:26between supporters of asterisk-asterisk, Bitcoin core asterisk-asterisk and asterisk-asterisk,
00:30Bitcoin notes asterisk-asterisk, especially over how non-monetary data sometimes called spam
00:34should be handled on the blockchain. The region. Bitcoin notes has, for years,
00:39filtered certain transactions containing arbitrary data, preventing them from entering its mempool.
00:45The region. What started as a technical disagreement over a transaction tax escalated
00:49into an ideological debate, is it acceptable to optimise nodes to reject non-monetary payloads?
00:54The region. According to leaked private messages shared with the rage,
00:58Dasher appears to acknowledge that filtering the asterisk-asterisk mempool asterisk-asterisk
01:02is inadequate to stop illicit data from existing on chain. The region. Instead, the messages suggest
01:07he is considering asterisk-asterisk cardfuck asterisk-asterisk, a consensus change that
01:12would install a asterisk-asterisk trusted multisig committee asterisk-asterisk empowered
01:15to asterisk-asterisk retroactively alter blockchain data asterisk-asterisk specifically
01:19to remove content deemed legal, such as child sexual abuse material CSAM.
01:23The region. Under the scheme, when the committee flagged some data as illicit,
01:28it would replace it with asterisk-asterisk zero-knowledge-proof asterisk-asterisk.
01:32Node operators could then perish the original data from their chains.
01:35The region. In dashes on words as quoted in the leaks.
01:40Right now the only options would be betcoin dies or we have to trust someone.
01:43The region. That's a stark framing either abandon betcoin as it is,
01:48or introduce trust into what has always been permissionless.
01:501. Asterisk-asterisk loss of censorship resistance asterisk-asterisk.
01:55A trusted committee able to remove data undermines the immutability and censorship
01:59resistance that many see as Bitcoin's foundation.
02:01The region.
02:022. Asterisk-asterisk precedent for broader censorship asterisk-asterisk.
02:07Once the door is open to retroactive removal of CSAM, it's not a big lead to demand removal
02:12of political speech, whistleblower docs, or other undesirable content.
02:15The region.
02:163. Asterisk-asterisk legal and coercion risks asterisk-asterisk.
02:21Node operators might be put in the crosshairs of legal demands.
02:24Are you forced to remove data or face criminal penalties?
02:27This adds real-world risk to running a node.
02:30The region.
02:314. Asterisk-asterisk trust BS trustlessness asterisk-asterisk.
02:36This proposal trades called decentralization for a committee-based trust model effectively
02:40introducing central control.
02:42That shift could alienate many in the Bitcoin community.
02:45When the Rage asked Asher for comment, he responded skeptically,
02:48you're writing an article on completely unbounded lies.
02:51The region.
02:52He has offered no further clarification, leaving the proposal and confirmed publicly.
02:56The region.
02:57The Rage says the leaks were authenticated via videoproof, and they published the relevant
03:02message screenshots.
03:03The region.
03:05But whether this is a half-formed idea, a thought experiment, or a serious roadmap remains unclear.
03:10If such a hardfuck were ever activated, it would mark one of the most radical shifts in Bitcoin's
03:14history.
03:15It would redefine who controls the ledger, what data is allowed, and whether permissionless is a
03:19principle or a footnote.
03:21For investors, technologists, node operators, and users alike, this raises urgent questions.
03:26Asterisk, do we exact this kill switch to dodge ethical or legal minefields?
03:31Asterisk, or do we recommit to the harder path, 100% immutable, 100% censorship resistant,
03:37no matter how acutely the pressures mount?
03:40The coming weeks will reveal whether we're witnessing a serious coup attempt or an exploratory
03:43theft experiment.
03:45But one thing is clear, the debate over free data, trust, and censorship in the blockchain
03:49space just got much more intense.
03:50Bitcoin was built on the radical idea that no one controls your money, and no one can rewrite history.
03:55A proposal to trust a committee with the ability to rewrite would force us all to ask,
03:59what do we truly believe Bitcoin is for?
04:01If you like, I can adapt this into timestamps, on-screen visuals, or turn it into full video
04:06script with b-roll suggestions.
04:08Do you want me to do that?
