Saylor Slams BIP 110 as Neutrality Threat

Bitcoin developer Michael Saylor has expressed strong opposition to BIP 110, a proposal that aims to reduce arbitrary data stored through Bitcoin transactions. According to Saylor, the package of seven temporary consensus restrictions threatens protocol neutrality and could create a greater threat to Bitcoin than unwanted blockchain data.

The Reduced Data Temporary Softfork would temporarily cap some script sizes, restrict Taproot control blocks, and prevent spending through undefined witness versions. Proponents argue that these measures could reduce node costs and keep block space focused on payments, but Saylor disagrees, stating that the proposal uses seven consensus rules to reject valid, fee-paying activity without measuring the costs those transactions impose.

Saylor also objects to bundling all seven restrictions into one package and using a 55% miner-signaling threshold, which he believes is too low for a disputed change. He argues that Bitcoin does not need 'guardians of purity' but rather 'guardians of neutrality.' Instead, Saylor favors transaction fees and voluntary relay policies, which ration block space without making the protocol evaluate content.

The proposal reached 'Complete' status under BIP 3 on June 25, indicating that its author considers the draft ready. However, the lack of broad community support raises concerns about the potential impact on Bitcoin's development.