Bitcoin Core 30 Ignites Discussion Over Network Spam, Samson Mow Advocates for Mining Equipment Sale Restrictions

The ongoing Bitcoin scaling dispute has seen a new development with the rise of a so-called "spam epidemic" on the network, leading to heated debates among industry figures. Long-standing Bitcoin proponent and Jan3 CEO, Samson Mow, has proposed that manufacturers of mining hardware should consider refusing sales or imposing penalties on firms supporting transactions deemed as spam. Mow suggests that Block’s Proto Mining division, a prominent producer of efficient ASIC miners, could refuse sales or impose markups on companies like Marathon Digital, which mine transactions containing non-financial data.

This proposal comes amidst heightened controversy surrounding upcoming changes to OP_RETURN in Bitcoin Core 30, a transaction type often blamed for creating bloated blocks. Critics argue that these changes could lead to an increase in spam, potentially crowding out legitimate transactions.