Bitcoin News Today: Bitcoin Developer Warns of Fork Over Censorship of Data-Driven Transactions

A Bitcoin Ordinals developer has raised the possibility of funding an open-source fork of Bitcoin Core if the network’s developers attempt to censor non-financial transactions such as Ordinals and Runes. The developer, known as Leonidas and host of The Ordinal Show, issued an open letter on X, warning that any policy tightening or censorship of such transactions would prompt “decisive action” [1]. Leonidas emphasized that this would set a “dangerous precedent” and argued that Bitcoin must remain inherently censorship-resistant [1].

The potential fork is being framed as a defensive measure in the ongoing debate about the role of large data transactions on the Bitcoin network. Critics, including Blockstream CEO Adam Back, argue that these transactions, which include media such as images and videos, constitute spam and should have “no place in the timechain” [1]. Leonidas, however, defended these transactions as a legitimate use of the blockchain, contributing over $500 million in transaction fees since the launch of the Ordinals and Runes ecosystems [1]. These fees have helped sustain miner operations, particularly as the block subsidy continues to decline due to Bitcoin’s halving events [1].

Bitcoin Knots, an alternative full node implementation, has gained traction in this context, with its node count rising from 67 in March 2024 to over 4,380 as of now — representing more than 18% of the total network [1]. This growth has occurred ahead of Bitcoin Core’s v30 release, scheduled for October 30, which is expected to increase the capacity for on-chain data storage by removing the 80-byte limit on the OP_RETURN function [1]. Leonidas expressed concern that the v30 update could be reversed or modified to favor traditional financial transactions over data-based ones.

Despite the argument that Ordinals contribute to miner revenue, activity levels have been inconsistent. On August 31, miners earned only $3,060 from Ordinals transactions, a sharp decline from the $9.99 million peak seen on December 16, 2023. Even in 2025, the strongest daily totals have not exceeded $1 million, indicating that the use of the protocol has become more seasonal [1]. This volatility raises questions about the long-term viability of relying on Ordinals fees to subsidize miner operations.

Leonidas also claimed to have spoken with miners representing over 50% of Bitcoin’s hash rate, who indicated that they would continue to accept transactions as long as the fees remain competitive. This suggests that the network’s economic incentives may remain aligned with the broader user base, but only as long as fees remain attractive enough to sustain miner participation [1].

Source: [1] Ordinals leader threatens Bitcoin Core fork (https://cointelegraph.com/news/ordinals-leader-threatens-bitcoin-core-fork)