PQC - What is our Goal, Even?

Posted by Ethan Heilman

Apr 17, 2026/21:28 UTC

The discussion highlights significant challenges and considerations surrounding the use of EC (Elliptic Curve) address reuse in the context of P2MR (Pay to Merkel Root) outputs and their impact on quantum safety. There's a critical distinction made between simple preferences against address reuse due to privacy concerns and the severe risks it poses in terms of fund security with emerging quantum threats. The suggestion posits that even a small percentage of address reuse, such as 1%, can jeopardize the security of the vast majority of funds that are otherwise protected.

The discourse suggests that wallets that permit EC address reuse should not be considered quantum-proof (PQ safe), emphasizing a lack of safety in such configurations. This presents an opportunity for the community to enforce stricter standards on what constitutes PQ safety, potentially requiring that any compromised outputs (due to address reuse where EC public keys are exposed) be only spendable through a quantum-safe mechanism. This approach could incentivize wallet developers to prioritize quantum safety features, especially if their implementation efforts align with community expectations and security requirements.

Overall, the communication underscores a need for a strategic shift in how wallet developers and users perceive and handle address reuse, especially in the face of quantum computing threats. It implies that promoting and enforcing stringent safety measures could significantly enhance security standards within the cryptocurrency ecosystem, particularly for technologies sensitive to quantum decryption methods.

Link to Raw Post
Bitcoin Logo

TLDR

Join Our Newsletter

We’ll email you summaries of the latest discussions from high signal bitcoin sources, like bitcoin-dev, lightning-dev, and Delving Bitcoin.

Explore all Products

ChatBTC imageBitcoin searchBitcoin TranscriptsSaving SatoshiDecoding BitcoinWarnet
Built with 🧡 by the Bitcoin Dev Project
View our public visitor count

We'd love to hear your feedback on this project.

Give Feedback