PQC - What is our Goal, Even?

The discourse on Bitcoin's future regarding quantum computing risks and protocol-level censorship highlighted significant community divides and conceptual complexities. Antoine Poinsot raised concerns about the broad and somewhat abstract use of the term "Bitcoin community," suggesting it might be presumptuous to assume a unified stance among its diverse, global members on issues like quantum risks and coin freezing. He criticized the framing of the original post for presenting conflicting goals: increasing security against potential quantum risks, debating the legitimacy of freezing non-upgraded coins, and prioritizing wallet structures less likely to upgrade to post-quantum (PQ) safe schemes.

Poinsot noted that while adding PQ-safe mechanisms at the consensus level introduces complexity, it is a tangible and debatable approach, especially since the latest Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for foundational work in quantum computing. However, he dismissed the idea of freezing coins as unfounded, lacking any real leverage or influence over global financial policies by Bitcoin technical experts. He pointed out that motivated attackers already possess the means to launch attacks without needing quantum computing advantages, which suggests long-term network viability.

On the topic of upgrading platforms and services, Poinsot expressed frustration with entities more focused on short-term gains from the latest cryptocurrencies rather than addressing critical upgrades to safeguard against quantum threats. He argued that it is not the responsibility of developers to ensure these platforms upgrade their systems but rather to provide the necessary tools and information for them to do so independently.

Regarding the economic impacts of quantum risks on large-scale Bitcoin operators, Poinsot suggested that such entities could seek traditional insurance solutions to hedge against potential quantum computing threats, analogous to how companies insure against rare but catastrophic events. He concluded by emphasizing a need to separate discussions of practical PQ cryptographic implementations from debates about freezing coins, advocating for a balanced and reasonable discourse on how to move forward.