Author: Eric Voskuil 2016-06-28 17:39:41
Published on: 2016-06-28T17:39:41+00:00
The email conversation is a follow-up to a previous discussion on the Bloom filter and P2P protocol. The writer expresses concern about the application of identity to the P2P protocol, which excludes Bloom filter features. They also state that the use case for SPV clients requesting from/broadcasting to multiple trusted nodes is not pure client-server. Though posting a transaction to the network can be done using the P2P protocol, it is a hack when done, and broadcasting is naturally the behavior of a full node. The writer's primary concern is the need for a secure (trusted) side channel by which to distribute public keys, which presents a significant problem as control over this distribution network would constitute control over who can use Bitcoin. They believe that the effort to prevent censorship could actually enable it. The authentication/identity system needs to be described in another BIP, but BIP151 without a form of authentication/identity management is vulnerable to all sorts of MITM attacks. The risks of overspecifying are the main reason to focus on the "pure encryption part" in BIP151.
Updated on: 2023-06-11T18:56:22.428046+00:00