‘We’re trying to defend Bitcoin’: Why BIP-110 is losing community support

ambcryptoPublished on 2026-07-12Last updated on 2026-07-12

Abstract

Blockstream CEO Adam Back argues that Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110 (BIP-110), a contentious soft fork, is misguided. He contends discussions are fueled by misconceptions about Bitcoin's architecture, not malicious intent, and that the proposal's proponents are often well-intentioned newcomers. BIP-110, implemented in December 2025, aims to restrict arbitrary data like Ordinals inscriptions to prevent network spam and preserve Bitcoin's primary function as peer-to-peer cash. Back acknowledges spam is an issue but believes Bitcoin's existing market-driven mechanisms—transaction fees, miner incentives, and decentralized consensus—already address it. He argues BIP-110 clashes with Bitcoin's permissionless ethos and that a fork based on it would likely fail due to a lack of community support and because it contradicts Bitcoin's foundational principles. Market dynamics show limited support for the proposal, with only 10 out of 2,016 blocks backing a temporary upgrade on July 4th. Concurrently, Ordinals activity has dropped to all-time lows, with fewer than 10,000 inscriptions daily. Bitcoin's price has also fallen 45% over the past year. Michael Saylor echoes Back's critical stance on BIP-110.

Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP-110), the contentious Bitcoin [BTC] soft fork, is back in the news, and many industry experts are talking about it.

This time, Blockstream CEO Adam Back contended that misconceptions about Bitcoin’s architecture are fueling discussions over BIP 110 and the OP_RETURN policy. Acknowledging many BIP 110 proponents as well-intentioned newcomers, he added,

If these are the people with #110 in their handles, I’m sad to see them about to fork off and get disillusioned without understanding why bitcoin rejected 110 robustly.

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For background, BIP-110 was implemented in December 2025. This was done to prevent arbitrary data, such as Ordinals inscriptions, which resemble non-fungible tokens, from spamming the network and to maintain Bitcoin’s primary function as a peer-to-peer cash system.

Back acknowledges that spam is a genuine issue. However, he argues that Bitcoin already addresses it through market‐driven mechanisms. This includes things like transaction fees, miner incentives, and decentralized consensus, rather than restrictive rules.

Does BIP‐110 clash with Bitcoin ethos?

The CEO further argued that BIP 110 also goes against the permissionless nature of Bitcoin. He concluded that anyone who disagrees with its direction can fork the network and impose their own regulations.

Moreover, he contends that a fork based on BIP 110 is unlikely to be successful. This, he believes, would happen due to the lack of widespread community support and the fact that it goes against the fundamental ideas of Bitcoin.

He added,

It would be sad if bitcoin lost people disillusioned due to simple lack of understanding of what’s going on there, we’re all trying to defend bitcoin and keep it on mission.

Echoing similar sentiments, Strategy’s Michael Saylor said,

Source: Michael Saylor/X

Market dynamics raise further concerns

This criticism came after only 10 blocks out of 2,016 supported the temporary upgrade on the 4th of July.

Adding further pressure, Ordinals activity has dropped to all‐time lows. For the past month, fewer than 10,000 Ordinals have been added to the Bitcoin blockchain each day.

Source: Dune Analytics

Finally, Bitcoin’s price has fallen 45% over the past year, from its peak of $124,500 to $63,901.24 at press time.


Final Summary

  • Adam Back criticizes BIP-110 in light of false beliefs about the architecture of Bitcoin rather than malicious intent.
  • Saylor stands supporting Back’s argument as even Ordinals activity falls to its all-time lows.

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Related Questions

QWhat is the main purpose of the BIP-110 soft fork, and when was it implemented?

AThe main purpose of the BIP-110 soft fork was to prevent arbitrary data, such as Ordinals inscriptions, from spamming the Bitcoin network and to maintain Bitcoin's primary function as a peer-to-peer cash system. It was implemented in December 2025.

QWhat are Adam Back's main criticisms of the BIP-110 proposal?

AAdam Back's main criticisms are that BIP-110 is based on misconceptions about Bitcoin's architecture and that it clashes with Bitcoin's permissionless nature. He argues that spam is already addressed through market-driven mechanisms like transaction fees and miner incentives, and that imposing restrictive rules goes against Bitcoin's fundamental ethos.

QAccording to the article, what evidence suggests that community support for BIP-110 is low?

AThe article cites that only 10 blocks out of a required 2,016 supported the temporary upgrade on July 4th. Additionally, it notes that a fork based on BIP-110 is unlikely to succeed due to a lack of widespread community support.

QHow does Michael Saylor's position relate to Adam Back's argument?

AMichael Saylor echoes similar sentiments to Adam Back, supporting the argument against BIP-110. His supportive stance is highlighted in the article alongside the context of declining Ordinals activity.

QWhat are the key market dynamics mentioned that add pressure to the debate around BIP-110?

AThe key market dynamics mentioned are the drop in Ordinals activity to all-time lows (fewer than 10,000 per day for the past month) and Bitcoin's price falling 45% over the past year from its peak of $124,500.

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2.3k Total ViewsPublished 2025.05.13Updated 2025.05.13

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