Bitcoin community faces one of the most controversial initiatives in recent years. A group of developers has proposed BIP-361, which calls for the forced freezing of 1.7 million BTC (over $100 billion at current exchange rates). The stated goal is protection against hypothetical quantum computing attacks, but critics have already called the move "an act of digital confiscation."
The essence of the proposal - "Freeze to save"
At risk are coins held at so-called "vulnerable addresses." These are early Bitcoin addresses using the Pay-to-Public-Key (P2PK) format, where the public key is exposed on the blockchain. Unlike modern P2PKH addresses (where the key is hidden by a hash), old addresses are theoretically vulnerable to Shor's algorithm - if a quantum computer of sufficient power is ever built.
Approximately 1.7 million BTC are at risk, including the wallets of Bitcoin's legendary creator Satoshi Nakamoto, as well as early miners.
The plan consists of two stages:
1. Blocking incoming transactions. Sending new coins to vulnerable addresses will be prohibited to avoid increasing the "time bomb."
2. Complete freezing of funds. All bitcoins at these addresses will become permanently inaccessible for movement.
Developers insist this is a "precautionary measure," motivated not only by economic gain but also by fear of eroding trust in the system. If a quantum hack occurs, attackers could spend others' coins, creating chaos.
Despite good intentions, the initiative has drawn sharp criticism. Opponents highlight three key problems:
1. "Authoritarian precedent"
Bitcoin has always been positioned as a system of immutable rules (Code is Law). BIP-361 proposes rewriting transaction history retroactively, violating the core principle of irreversibility.
2. "We're freezing what hasn't been broken yet"
A quantum computer capable of breaking Bitcoin's secp256k1 elliptic curve exists only in theory today. Scientists estimate such a machine may appear in 10–20 years, giving the community time for a soft upgrade (hard fork) without total confiscation.
3. Attack on Satoshi's legacy
Freezing the creator's coins carries not just technical but ideological weight. For many Bitcoin maximalists, this is sacrilege, comparable to destroying historical artifacts.
In the Bitcoin ecosystem, any major change requires very careful coordination. Activating a hard fork requires agreement from miners (through signaling) and economic nodes (by running updated software).
Currently, support for BIP-361 is near zero. Major mining pools and Bitcoin Core developers have not yet expressed an opinion. The argument is simple: "If you can freeze Satoshi's coins today under the pretext of a quantum threat, tomorrow you can freeze an opposition regime's coins under the pretext of cybersecurity."