Foundry Asks Bitcoin Miners to Vote on Controversial BIP-110 Proposal

Foundry USA, the largest Bitcoin mining pool by hashrate, has opened voting for its clients on whether to support BIP-110, a proposed rule change aimed at limiting how much non-transactional data can be stored within Bitcoin transactions.

What the Proposal Would Do

BIP-110 is a soft fork designed to restrict activities such as Ordinals inscriptions, which have drawn criticism for using Bitcoin’s blockchain to store non-monetary data. Foundry has released educational materials to help mining clients understand the proposal before casting their votes through a link sent via email. Voting will remain open until a specific block height is reached, expected sometime in early August.

Industry Leaders Split on the Issue

The proposal has sparked significant debate among prominent figures in the Bitcoin community. Some industry leaders have voiced strong opposition, warning that the change could be misused to restrict access to user funds. Other well-known executives have raised similar concerns, arguing the proposal could unintentionally affect standard, legitimate transactions on the network.

Foundry’s Role in the Decision

As the largest mining pool, controlling nearly a quarter of Bitcoin’s total network hashrate, Foundry’s stance and how its clients vote could carry significant weight in determining whether the proposal gains broader traction across the mining community.