{"id":11511,"date":"2025-09-23T12:23:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T12:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/michael-saylor-joins-the-debate-over-bitcoin-spam-filter-removal\/"},"modified":"2025-09-23T12:23:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T12:23:17","slug":"michael-saylor-joins-the-debate-over-bitcoin-spam-filter-removal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/michael-saylor-joins-the-debate-over-bitcoin-spam-filter-removal\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Saylor joins the debate over Bitcoin spam filter removal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-detail__content blocks\">\n<div id=\"cn-block-summary-block_9df21e96529c2fb1446ef3b889b80316\" class=\"cn-block-summary\">\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__nav tabs\">\n        <span class=\"tabs__item is-selected\">Summary<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Michael Saylor stepped into the Bitcoin Core vs Bitcoin Knots battle, voicing remarks that cast a shadow on Bitcoin Core\u2019s upcoming upgrade.<\/li>\n<li>The upgrade will remove the spam filter, allowing posting big-size images and other types of content on Bitcoin.<\/li>\n<li>Critics say arbitrary data will make it harder to use Bitcoin as electronic cash. Bitcoin Core v30 proponents say that Bitcoin is a permissionless data ledger, and the upgrade helps to realize its potential to the fullest.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .cn-block-summary --><\/p>\n<p class=\"is-style-lead\">On Sep. 16, 2025, the Strategy co-founder, Michael Saylor, said that \u201cthe good idea for Bitcoin will destroy Bitcoin.\u201d He has been referring to the change in the Bitcoin Core protocol that goes live in October. It will remove a \u201cspam filter\u201d and let big portions of arbitrary data (images, texts, etc) be added to Bitcoin blocks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\">\n<p>Table of Contents<\/p>\n<nav>\n<ul>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#does-saylor-support-the-spam-filter-removal\">Does Saylor support the spam filter removal?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#reaction-to-saylors-speech\">Reaction to Saylor\u2019s speech<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#the-debate-continues\">The debate continues<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"does-saylor-support-the-spam-filter-removal\">Does Saylor support the spam filter removal?<\/h2>\n<p>Saylor\u2019s comments come when the debate over the need for the spam filter got extremely heated, dividing the Bitcoin community. Bitcoin Core supporters want Bitcoin to run all kinds of data, while the opponents warn that it will hinder monetary transactions due to spam.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Saylor gave a spacious comment on his stance about the Bitcoin Core protocol debate at Bitcoin Corporate Day. Here\u2019s the shortened version of his speech on the topic:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cI think protocol proposals, however well-intentioned, can go horribly wrong. And I think that this debate we see right now over the OP_RETURN limit. The biggest danger is a very talented, well-funded, well-intentioned developer trying to do something good. The good ideas will destroy the company. The good idea for Bitcoin will destroy Bitcoin. If I wanted to destroy Bitcoin, I would just fund infinite developers who are very talented and tell them to make it better.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I would counsel extreme caution, extreme caution whenever it comes to \u201cupgrading the protocol.\u201d The lack of the feature is the feature. Maybe the world is the way it is because it should be that way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m optimistic, though, given the way the community reacted. The community is going to have checks and balances, and there are going to be other implementations of Bitcoin that will form and that will keep us from going off the rails or doing something inadvertently that gets the network in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Saylor did not explicitly mention Bitcoin Core v30, a version that deletes the spam filter. However, his skepticism towards well-intended devs who may destroy Bitcoin was seen mainly as criticism of the Bitcoin Core devs\u2019 initiative.<\/p>\n<p>Without calling names, Saylor suggested that certain cryptocurrency networks crashed and burned after adding too many features. Thus, it\u2019s safe to say that Saylor signaled his conservative stance on the existing arbitrary data limit, siding with the Bitcoin Core opponents.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Saylor, whose company Strategy is the biggest corporate Bitcoin holder, usually speaks about Bitcoin\u2019s impact on the U.S. or world economy. His comments on the spam filter debate are a notably rare instance of him talking about Bitcoin\u2019s technical side.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"reaction-to-saylors-speech\">Reaction to Saylor\u2019s speech<\/h2>\n<p>Saylor\u2019s speech didn\u2019t go unnoticed among other bitcoiners who don\u2019t want Bitcoin to include big-size images, NFTs, and other non-monetary data. The video clip of Saylor\u2019s speech or posts with excerpts from it spread across Crypto X, pushing the debate forward.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This will trigger a lot of people but is 100% on point.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What do you mean Bitcoin&#8217;s only point is to transfer sats from one UTXO to the next? I can&#8217;t justify my yearly income if it&#8217;s not supposed to do anything else.&#8221; <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GXwWetetzY\">pic.twitter.com\/GXwWetetzY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ghost of Unhosted Marcellus \ud83d\udc7b (@oomahq) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/oomahq\/status\/1968386406503604691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>While many opponents of the change in protocol praised Saylor\u2019s remarks, critics reminded everyone that Strategy itself had a plan to launch a decentralized ID platform based on arbitrary data on Bitcoin. However, it didn\u2019t take off.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">MicroStrategy literally released an \u201cOrdinals-inspired\u201d decentralized identity protocol that intends to store data in the UTXO set. He\u2019s literally \u201cspamming the chain\u201d and \u201cbloating the UTXO set\u201d. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/eiK6ICFwT8\">https:\/\/t.co\/eiK6ICFwT8<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/f3HaW7Mm0y\">pic.twitter.com\/f3HaW7Mm0y<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Mike In Space (@mikeinspace) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mikeinspace\/status\/1968491526184452583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Other criticism was aimed at the supporters of Bitcoin Knots, which is the main competitor of the Bitcoin Core protocol. The Knots client is not going to increase the arbitrary data limit, so more and more people are switching from Bitcoin Core to Knots. However, the Bitcoin Knots client itself has unique features, such as a stricter mempool and privacy policy. It can be viewed as an improvement; thus, it doesn\u2019t align with Saylor\u2019s call for the lack of features.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">If you believed this, why have you chosen to run a modified client that has had the protocol changed?<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tom Trevethan (@TTrevethan) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TTrevethan\/status\/1968579044854694216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-debate-continues\">The debate continues<\/h2>\n<p>Bitcoin Core devs voted to remove the 83-byte limit for arbitrary data. On Jun. 9, 2025, Gloria Zhao, a Bitcoin Core maintainer, announced the removal of the spam filter in Bitcoin Core v30. The lengthy post contains no mention of the reason behind the change. Some reacted with words of support, while others were disgusted and claimed they would switch to Bitcoin Knots.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I posted a full writeup for the #32406 merge decision on the PR.<\/p>\n<p>These changes go into effect in v30, which is scheduled for release in October.<br \/>The PR changes the defalt value of -datacarriersize. You will still be able to use -datacarrier and -datacarriersize options in v30,\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 gloria (@glozow) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/glozow\/status\/1932062404566761473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">June 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Those who don\u2019t want to use Bitcoin Knots choose not to upgrade to Bitcoin Core v30. Some of these people include big names like Samson Mow, the JAN3 CEO, who claimed via X that he will not run a Bitcoin Core v30 node.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I will not be running Bitcoin Core v30.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Samson Mow (@Excellion) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Excellion\/status\/1969851648240759182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 21, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Knots\u2019 share in the Bitcoin network grew to nearly 20%. In January 2024, there were only 69 Bitcoin Knots nodes. Now this number <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.bitfinex.com\/education\/why-is-bitcoin-knots-becoming-so-popular\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">amounts<\/a> to 4,200. It seems that the debate has fueled this client\u2019s popularity.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<p>Pete Rizzo, a crypto influencer known as The Bitcoin Historian on X, offered his explanation of why the Core vs Knots battle helps to promote Bitcoin Knots. In a recent episode of the What Bitcoin Did podcast, Rizzo <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/frankcorva\/status\/1969225260177232324\" rel=\"nofollow\">suggested<\/a> that the Knots narrative tempts \u201caverage user who isn\u2019t Michael Saylor\u201d to think they matter for Bitcoin. According to Rizzo, this is not the case because Bitcoin stopped being an inclusive network where everyone mattered somewhere around 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bitcoin Magazine journalist Frank Corva endorsed this explanation as the best. He went so far as to call the Knots node count <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/frankcorva\/status\/1969385130658517128\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cjuked.\u201d<\/a> Some believe that people close to Bitcoin Magazine may have their own interest in pushing for the Bitcoin Core v30 upgrade and fighting against the critics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Noticing a trend: those in most disbelief by the growth of Knots tend to be those in the David Bailey\/BTC INC echo chamber.<\/p>\n<p>I will just say based on _my own_ echo chamber, there&#8217;s easily thousands of Knots supporters amongst my followers, so 20% doesn&#8217;t seem so far fetched. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EsfPoul0ns\">https:\/\/t.co\/EsfPoul0ns<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Pledditor (@Pledditor) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Pledditor\/status\/1969449879609987268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Earlier, some speculated that the entire thing was probably sponsored by Citrea, a company focused on using Bitcoin for smart contracts and other use cases similar to Ethereum. According to CasaHODL co-founder and Citrea investor Jameson Lopp, Citrea doesn\u2019t need the OP_RETURN limit removal to store data on Bitcoin; however, it could benefit from the larger limit.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">No, it sounds like you misunderstood <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/moneyball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">@moneyball<\/a>. He explained that Citrea is already planning on storing the data differently and doesn&#8217;t need larger OP_RETURNs, but they COULD use larger OP_RETURNs. It makes no real difference to Citrea. Timestamp: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mWMMydOvP0\">https:\/\/t.co\/mWMMydOvP0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>No\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jameson Lopp (@lopp) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lopp\/status\/1919119672454291772?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Bitcoin Core v30 critics offered all kinds of reasons to keep the OP_RETURN limit as it is. Whereas Saylor is saying that changing the small parameters of Bitcoin may lead to major ones, like changing the total supply cap. The reasons cited by others include the following:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Spam (non-monetary) transactions will make it harder to use Bitcoin as electronic cash<\/li>\n<li>Bitcoin may become a storage for illicit files, which may turn regulators against Bitcoin\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Believing that you must act, or else Bitcoin will die, is the core symptom of Bitcoin Derangement Syndrome.<\/p>\n<p>Follow what you passionately believe in, but don\u2019t let it consume you. And if you need reassurance that not giving in to emotions is the right path, just look at the\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Uncle Rockstar Developer (@r0ckstardev) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/r0ckstardev\/status\/1965440100289904668?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>What leaves an impression of a gaping hole is the lack of a clearly articulated reason for a sudden change in the anti-spam policy. For many, the spam filter removal looked like a sudden off-the-wall proposal. The way the Bitcoin Core devs ignored the critics and kept pushing the change was another strike. The recurring narrative backing the Bitcoin Core v30 implementation is that letting ordinals and arbitrary data is the full realization of Bitcoin\u2019s potential and censorship resistance.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/vlog?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">#vlog<\/a> 33<\/p>\n<p>These Fiat Arguments Regarding OP_RETURN Need To Go <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DCL4dhpkAG\">pic.twitter.com\/DCL4dhpkAG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jimmy Song (\uc1a1\uc7ac\uc900) (@jimmysong) <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jimmysong\/status\/1969502428178337889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Such an approach ignores the very Bitcoin whitepaper, saying that Bitcoin is electronic cash. However, it really does align with Bitcoin\u2019s potential capabilities. What\u2019s not clear is why the implementation happens now and why the Bitcoin Core devs are so urgent and unflinching.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary Michael Saylor stepped into the Bitcoin Core vs Bitcoin Knots battle, voicing remarks that cast a shadow on Bitcoin Core\u2019s upcoming upgrade. The upgrade will remove the spam filter,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11511"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11512,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11511\/revisions\/11512"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}