Author: Ben Thompson 2017-10-30 14:23:51
Published on: 2017-10-30T14:23:51+00:00
In a recent discussion on the bitcoin-dev mailing list, a user brought up concerns about the Bech32 address format and its lack of visually distinct first few bytes. The user explained that when copying and pasting bitcoin addresses, they double check the first few bytes to ensure that the correct address has been copied and that no rogue software has changed it. With traditional addresses, the first few bytes can be easily compared (such as 1Ko or 1L3), but with Bech32 addresses, only "bc1." is visible which is likely to be the same for many addresses. This could potentially lead to errors if users are only comparing the first few bytes. One proposed solution was to double check the last few bytes instead of the first few, since the last few bytes can also be generated to be the same. However, other users suggested improving the visual distinctness of the first few bytes in the Bech32 address format to make it easier for users to compare and verify addresses. No specific solutions were offered, but the discussion highlights the importance of address verification in ensuring the security and accuracy of bitcoin transactions.
Updated on: 2023-06-12T21:46:50.209467+00:00