Adam Back and Michael Saylor warn of chain split over BIP 110

Blockstream co-founder Adam Back contends that the protocol change essentially attempts to police user transactions, a move he believes clashes with Bitcoin’s core design. Michael Saylor reinforced this stance, labeling the proposal as an extremely dangerous precedent. He warned that transforming a dispute over data usage into a consensus change creates a significant risk of a chain split, as miners and nodes may diverge if the rules are enforced without overwhelming agreement.

The BIP 110 specification, championed by developer Luke Dashjr, aims to restrict certain Taproot features and non-financial data payloads for a one-year period. While proponents argue that these measures would reduce storage demands on node operators and keep the network focused on monetary utility, critics maintain that users paying transaction fees should dictate how block space is utilized. Despite Dashjr’s insistence that it is too late to cancel the proposal, market adoption remains stagnant.

Technical hurdles appear formidable, as the proposal requires signaling from 55% of miners to reach activation. Currently, miner support sits near zero, with no major mining pools backing the move. With mandatory signaling deadlines approaching for a planned September 2026 activation, the network faces a critical planning window. Stakeholders must now navigate the divide between those seeking to prune blockchain data and those prioritizing the preservation of Bitcoin's existing, neutral consensus rules.