Bitcoin's quantum freeze proposal splits the industry; three counter-approaches emerge

Within 48 hours of BIP-361's proposal to freeze vulnerable Bitcoin addresses on a five-year timeline, three competing approaches emerged to address quantum computing threats. Adam Back argued at Paris Blockchain Week for optional upgrades over forced freezes, while BitMEX Research published a reactive 'canary fund' proposal that would only trigger restrictions if a quantum attack is proven on-chain by unlocking a special bounty address. Justin Sun announced TRON would be first to deploy NIST post-quantum signatures on mainnet, though without technical documentation. The debate centers on whether Bitcoin should implement preemptive restrictions that critics call authoritarian and confiscatory, or rely on market-based detection systems that assume attackers will claim bounties rather than execute massive thefts.

BitMEX's quantum canary detection system as alternative to BIP-361

• ▪The BitMEX Research canary proposal is designed as an alternative to BIP-361, which would impose restrictions on a fixed five-year timeline.

Comparison to Ethereum's DAO hack response and Bitcoin's anti-intervention culture

• ▪Ethereum's response to the 2016 DAO hack was a hard fork that reversed the theft and split the network into Ethereum and Ethereum Classic.

5 sources