Solution Worse Than the Problem? Adam Back Opposes BIP-110 Ordinals Fix

Adam Back, the CEO of Blockstream and a prominent figure in the Bitcoin community, has voiced strong opposition to BIP-110, a proposal designed to mitigate the impact of Ordinals on the Bitcoin network. While the surge in inscriptions has led to increased transaction fees and blockchain congestion—prompting some developers to seek ‘spam’ filters—Back argues that the proposed fix may be more damaging than the problem itself.

BIP-110 aims to restrict certain types of non-financial data from being embedded in the blockchain. However, Back maintains that attempting to censor specific transaction types undermines Bitcoin’s core principle of permissionless access. He suggests that such filters could be easily bypassed by users employing more complex data-masking techniques, leading to an ‘arms race’ that further complicates the protocol.

Back’s stance reflects a broader philosophical divide within the ecosystem: whether the network should strictly serve as a financial ledger or remain an open platform where any user can submit a valid transaction, regardless of its content. As the debate continues, Back’s intervention signals a preference for market-driven solutions, such as fee-based prioritization, rather than protocol-level censorship.

Source: Solution worse than problem? Adam Back opposes BIP-110 Ordinals fix