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42 sats \ 3 replies \ @Scoresby OP 23 Oct \ parent \ on: "Quasi-consensus": help me understand this conversation with Chris Guida bitcoin
sure, I'm happy to agree that mempool policy has effects and that they may largely be determined by defaults. but I'm disagreeing (perhaps not with you) that the effects of mempool policy will remain in the face of demand for transactions that are counter to them.
In the filter debate, it has frequently been positioned as some kind of existential threat to bitcoin (spam is going to price out economic transactions! jpegs are going to make it expensive to run a node! CSAM is going to get node runners sent to jail!) and in all these cases, my contention is the only way to address the matter is via block validation rules. Mempool policy can only provide gentle nudges, and if any of the breathless fears of filter proponents were actually real threats, it would be trivial for a state actor to bring them to life by making such transactions.
Many people have also pointed out that ultimately it is impossible to prevent arbitrary data from being embedded in blocks. I recognize this truth, and therefore believe we must either accept that no valid transaction is a real threat to Bitcoin or accept that Bitcoin doesn't work.
I'm with you on all of that, except the CSAM part.
If I'm understanding the concern correctly, it's specifically that by not filtering it there is a period of time when it is stored unencrypted on your device and then transmitted to others.
That's not an existential threat to bitcoin, but I do believe it will land people in prison and I would certainly adopt a mempool policy that doesn't allow it (or at least demonstrates I was trying to not allow it).
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Sure, I believe every node runner should run whatever software they like.
I am, however, pointing out that we are advocating for the use of blackmarket money. Illegality is part and parcel of using Bitcoin.
I see the strategery of "demonstrating that we tried to not allow it" but I think its long game ends up doing more harm than good.
Sickos should have the shit beaten out of them whenever we discover them, however, they should also be able to use bitcoin and that means we can't control what they upload beyond the rules of block validation.
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The issue is that there are no fees regulating this part of the network. It's a free information transmission network subsidized by node runners.
I don't think of it as part of black market money, because getting into a block isn't the point. It's a way to freeride on part of our process that isn't well defended against it.
That's why the question of what people choose to relay seems significant to me.
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