Adam Back warns BIP-110 spam limit could harm bitcoin stability

The CEO and co-founder of Blockstream, Adam Back, is skeptical about Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) 110. According to him, introducing a consensus-level spam limit risks compromising Bitcoin’s image and stability.

The executive made this statement after observing that approximately 7.5% of network nodes, which are primarily Bitcoin Knots users, have expressed support for the proposal.  This situation underscores a widening disagreement over how to handle transaction data spam.

Back expressed concerns regarding the BIP-110 proposal

Following Back’s remarks, reports highlighted that the BIP 110, initiated by Dathon Ohm, was introduced in December of last year. Ohm suggested a 12-month temporary reduction in transaction data limits. The initiative aims to prevent images and media files from overloading the blockchain.

Responding to the developer’s proposal, Back advocated Bitcoin’s role as sound, hard money, but opposed interventions in its consensus mechanisms. In his view, spam is merely a nuisance that poses no significant risk to network security.

Moreover, Blockstream’s CEO shared an X post dated Sunday, February 15, noting that such a substantial modification lacks justification. Afterwards, he outlined his belief that BIP-110 would undermine BTC’s reputation as a reliable store of value and secure monetary system. To further elaborate this point, Back labeled the proposal an “attack,” equating the attempt to force changes without consensus to a “lynch mob” effort.

On the other hand, sources alleged that support for the proposal is growing among Bitcoin Knots validators despite Back’s warnings. Bitcoin Knots began securing substantial market share in late 2024. In early 2025, its adoption gains rapid momentum.

In late October 2025, Bitcoin Core v30 changed its default policy to lift the 80-byte OP_RETURN restriction, a move designed to reduce UTXO bloat by encouraging the use of non-spendable data outputs.

Since functionality of the OP_RETURN became a subject of intense debate, Bitcoin Core’s share of Bitcoin nodes drastically declined to 77.2% reflecting a drop of about 20.8% while the shares of Bitcoin Knots’ surged to 22.7%. Regarding this news, reports mentioned that the heated debate fueled discussions in the Bitcoin community over which types of transactions should be allowed. 

Uncertainties surround the BIP-110 proposal’s approval 

Regarding Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110, reports dated January 25 stated that this initiative is led by the Bitcoin Knots team. Scheduled for a one-year duration, the initiative will be adapted based on community feedback.

The proposal only managed to secure support from 3% nodes in the Bitcoin blockchain. However, for approval, the soft fork requires support from at least 55% of validators. Still, none of the top 20 mining pools demonstrated interest in the proposal.

This situation prompted reporters to reach out to the authors of BIP-110 for comment on the proposal. Responding to this request, Bitcoin Core developer Luke Dashjr argued that adding unnecessary data would burden node operators and divert resources from Bitcoin’s core mission of enhancing the financial system.

Critics, on the other hand, claimed that spam-induced hardware requirements are undermining the network’s status as a truly decentralized, censorship-resistant currency.

Bitcoin supporter and researcher Matthew Kratter compared the issue to ivy overtaking a tree, saying that just as the plant slowly consumes and damages its host before eventually dying itself, excessive spam could gradually weaken and harm Bitcoin.

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