The system was also used to remotely trigger the software to stop transacting. The key has been disabled for some time and Bitcoin Core has now officially retired it. This organized approach is better than having the key leak randomly, which could happen anytime and lead to uncertainty. Altcoins and other such currencies have three months grace period after the announcement to remove the key if they had accidentally copied it. The final alert will be broadcasted at the beginning of 2017 after which the key will be neutered, becoming a historical curiosity. Each person who has the key can reveal it or not as per their choice.