Key Points
- Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor and Blockstream CEO Adam Back have publicly opposed Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP)-110, which seeks to temporarily restrict Ordinals inscriptions and other non-monetary data on Bitcoin.
- Supporters argue the proposal would reduce blockchain spam and preserve Bitcoin’s role as a peer-to-peer monetary network.
- Critics warn that introducing protocol-level transaction restrictions could undermine Bitcoin’s neutrality and decentralization.
- BIP-110 currently has minimal network support, making activation highly unlikely under Bitcoin’s consensus rules.
Two of Bitcoin’s most influential advocates have voiced strong opposition to Bitcoin Improvement Proposal-110 (BIP-110), arguing that changing the protocol to restrict certain transaction types poses greater risks than the network congestion it seeks to solve.
Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor and Blockstream CEO Adam Back criticized the proposal over the weekend as the Bitcoin community continues debating how the network should handle Ordinals inscriptions and other non-financial data embedded into transactions.
The discussion represents one of the most significant protocol governance debates since Bitcoin’s Blocksize Wars nearly a decade ago.
Proposal Seeks to Restrict Ordinals Activity
Originally introduced in December 2025 by pseudonymous developer “Dathon Ohm” with support from Ocean Protocol founder Luke Dashjr, BIP-110 proposes a temporary soft fork that would limit arbitrary data stored on Bitcoin.
Supporters argue that Ordinals inscriptions, NFT-like assets and other non-monetary applications consume valuable block space, increasing transaction fees and diverting Bitcoin from its intended purpose as a decentralized payment network.
Under the proposal, restrictions would remain in place for approximately one year.
Saylor Warns Against Protocol Intervention
Michael Saylor argued that restricting transaction types would create unnecessary risks for Bitcoin’s long-term credibility.
“There are 110 things more dangerous to Bitcoin than spam,” Saylor wrote on social media, suggesting that protocol changes designed to block specific uses of the network could unintentionally invalidate legitimate transactions.
His comments reflect a broader philosophy that Bitcoin’s base layer should remain neutral rather than attempting to determine which transactions deserve inclusion.
Adam Back Defends Bitcoin’s Permissionless Design
Blockstream CEO Adam Back echoed similar concerns, emphasizing that Bitcoin’s decentralized architecture should not allow one group of users to dictate acceptable network activity.
Back argued that permissionless access remains one of Bitcoin’s defining characteristics and warned that imposing transaction preferences would conflict with the network’s cypherpunk principles.
Opponents of BIP-110 contend that Bitcoin’s consensus rules should remain application-neutral regardless of whether users prioritize payments, digital collectibles or other emerging use cases.
Supporters Say Network Congestion Requires Action
Proponents of BIP-110 maintain that Ordinals and arbitrary data storage have placed unnecessary pressure on Bitcoin’s limited block space.
Luke Dashjr and other supporters argue that blockchain bloat threatens Bitcoin’s efficiency as a payment network and that temporary restrictions would help restore the network’s primary monetary function.
They also reject concerns about a permanent chain split, stating that the proposal introduces only a temporary limitation rather than a lasting protocol change.
Proposal Faces Steep Consensus Challenge
Despite the renewed public debate, BIP-110 remains far from activation.
Bitcoin’s activation mechanism requires support from at least 55% of validating nodes during a designated signaling period.
Recent network data shows that only around 1% of mined blocks signaled support during the latest activation window, indicating the proposal currently lacks meaningful consensus within the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Meanwhile, Ordinals activity has declined significantly since its peak in 2023. Daily inscriptions have fallen below 10,000 over the past month, compared with more than 400,000 daily inscriptions during the height of the Ordinals boom in August 2023.
Outlook
Although BIP-110 has reignited philosophical debates over Bitcoin’s purpose, its chances of near-term adoption remain remote given its limited network support. The discussion nevertheless highlights an ongoing tension within the Bitcoin community between preserving unrestricted, permissionless access and optimizing the network for monetary transactions. As Bitcoin adoption continues to evolve, governance debates surrounding protocol neutrality and network efficiency are likely to remain central issues for developers and users alike.
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