Is it potential/possible for nodes to redact info (for instance inappropriate pictures) of their blockchain and stay a part of the community?
Sidenote:
Though OP_RETURN
was supposed for embedding small quantities of information, I imagine virtually all circumstances of embedding of pictures within the final 12 months use OP_FALSE OP_IF <a number of knowledge pushes> OP_ENDIF
inside an in any other case regular script in a witness element. This avoids limitations imposed on OP_RETURN
and positive factors the Segwit low cost on transaction charges.
Censoring transactions:
Pruning nodes discard blocks which were validated and whose content material is now not crucial for sustaining UTXO state. It should be possible to be selective and have particular standards to discard knowledge that’s undesirable. For Bitcoin Core I think about it’d necessitate rewriting giant blockfiles or some technique akin to overwriting parts with say zeroes and updating indexes accordingly.
Not relaying unconfirmed transactions of this type has been instructed. As Michael Folkson commented, giant pictures (e.g. a number of MB) already cannot be relayed by Bitcoin core nodes due to its default coverage guidelines. publishers of huge pictures should make direct preparations with miners.
Nevertheless, the above nonetheless requires that nodes obtain and validate new blocks, no matter content material, with a view to keep UTXO state. So the purpose can’t be utterly achieved.
I imagine additionally it is computationally infeasible for regular nodes to differentiate inappropriate pictures from acceptable pictures. Moreover, Individuals who embed such pictures can take countermeasures to stop their detection.