DOG Mode explains Bitcoin’s next governance fight

Debates and disputes about Bitcoin’s governance often pivot on the rules baked into the world’s original blockchain network’s code. The latest dispute suggests the reality is more nuanced.

The alternative Bitcoin client “$DOG Mode”, introduced by Bitcoin developer “Leonidas”, doesn’t attempt to rewrite Bitcoin’s consensus rules. Instead, it targets the default relay policies used by Bitcoin Core and other node software. These are in effect the settings that determine which valid transactions are forwarded around the network before miners include them in a block.

In doing so, the developer is reopening a philosophical debate over censorship, free markets and who really governs the network.

Leonidas is an advocate of the Ordinals protocol, which allows data to be stored on the Bitcoin blockchain, often in the form of images or texts to essentially create a version of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

The Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) 110 sought to tighten the network’s rules to make such transactions more difficult, prompting accusations of censorship from its critics.

Bitcoin consensus rule changes are rare, hence why attempts to alter them seem so seismic. In many ways, $DOG Mode represents the philosophical mirror image of BIP-110.

Supporters of BIP-110 view Bitcoin as a public utility whose scarce block space should be reserved primarily for monetary settlement. Inscriptions and other>

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