【Cobra warns that a new Bitcoin soft fork will appear next year】
Cobra, the administrator of bitcoin.org, warns that some developers plan to push for a user-activated soft fork (UASF) in 2025 to include Check Template Verify (CTV) in Bitcoin. This improvement, proposed by Jeremy Lubin as part of BIP 119, aims to enhance transaction security and introduce 'covenants' that allow users to set conditions for Bitcoin spending, such as vault functionalities.
CTV can restrict funds to flow only to specific addresses and provide the ability to cancel transactions to avoid operational errors. However, this upgrade may affect the fungibility of Bitcoin and increase code complexity, bringing security risks. This controversial upgrade might be implemented through UASF, determined by the node community's decision to adopt it, but it has not yet gained widespread consensus.
Supporters believe that CTV offers practical features and should be included in Bitcoin Core, while opponents are concerned about its necessity and potential risks. Cobra stated that this move might be driven by non-Bitcoin Core developers to avoid legal liabilities. He predicts that the future of Bitcoin may face a significant divide between 'hardliners' and 'improvers', and this UASF might serve as the catalyst.
