[BIP Proposal] Reduced Data Temporary Softfork

In a recent exchange on the Bitcoin Development Mailing List, concerns were raised regarding the proposed block-height-based activation date for a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP). The critique highlighted that this approach, slated for approximately February 1st, 2026, neglects to address the potential division into two separate coins: one supported by the majority of hash power and another by the minority. This division raises significant issues, given that if there was confidence in securing supermajority hash power support, a hash-power activation mechanism, similar to the one used in BIP-65 for the CheckLockTimeVerify soft-fork, would have been proposed instead.

The lack of discussion around how the community will manage the consequences of such a fork, especially in terms of safely splitting coins between the two chains and modifying Bitcoin addresses to prevent accidental transactions to the incorrect chain, was pointed out as a major oversight. Additionally, the timeframe set for this User Activated Soft Fork (UASF) without any miner activation mechanism was criticized as being unrealistic.

Moreover, the technical rationale provided in the BIP was scrutinized for lacking substance. The argument against using OP_Return for data publishing within Bitcoin transactions was challenged for not providing a real technical barrier, thereby rendering the rational more moralistic than technically grounded. The critique suggests that this stance against data publishing via Bitcoin transactions is not backed by technical justification, undermining the overall integrity of the proposal.

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