Adam Back Advocates Optional Bitcoin Quantum Upgrades Amid Developer Split
Key Takeaways
- Adam Back urges optional quantum-resistant upgrades now, not a forced upgrade.
- Bitcoin governance splits between optional upgrades and mandatory migration or forced freeze.
- Proponents push proactive quantum-security for long-term Bitcoin protection.
Quantum Upgrade Debate
Bitcoin's developer community is sharply divided over how to address the emerging threat of quantum computing.
“Bitcoin's quantum debate splits as Adam Back pushes optional upgrades over forced freeze The Blockstream CEO told Paris Blockchain Week that Bitcoin should build quantum-resistant upgrades now, a day after Jameson Lopp proposed freezing vulnerable coins instead”
Blockstream CEO Adam Back advocates for building optional quantum-resistant upgrades now, emphasizing that preparation is key.

Jameson Lopp and five other developers have proposed BIP-361, which would phase out quantum-vulnerable addresses on a fixed five-year timeline.
Back framed the debate around whether Bitcoin's governance can respond quickly to an emergency or whether strict measures must be pre-scheduled.
Google and Caltech researchers warned that functional quantum computers could arrive sooner than previously estimated.
Survivor Testimony and Strike
Survivors described workers pounding on locked metal doors as smoke filled the stairwells.
Nasrin Begum escaped by jumping from a second-floor window.
The Bangladesh Garment Workers' Federation called a nationwide strike.
Federation president Kalpona Akter said Rahman Textile had been cited for fire safety violations in 2024.
Labour Minister Tahmina Akhter pledged an immediate government investigation.
Firefighter Mahmud Iqbal said 47 people had been injured.
Supply Chain Under Scrutiny
Hessen's compliance team had audited the factory in March.
Rahman Textile owner Faisal Rahman issued a statement claiming the factory had passed its most recent safety inspection in January.
Clean Clothes Campaign spokesperson Ineke Zeldenrust told the Guardian that the audit system was fundamentally broken.
Rahman was being questioned about allegations that the factory's emergency exits had been welded shut.
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