On April 2, 2025, Google temporarily disabled it Bitcoin Development Mailing Listan important forum for Bitcoin developers, revitalising it after a few hours of interruption.
It is known as Bitcoindev,This email list is a space Discussing proposals for improvements to Bitcoin (VIP). Bitcoin’s core development will solve technical issues that affect the network. Its importance is not low. It serves as a community communication axis supporting one of the most iconic projects of decentralization.
The history of the Linux Foundation’s migration to sourceforge.net, and the transition to Google Group in February 2024, ironically reflects a stable home search for a system that is designed to be independent of anyone.
Why did Google pause the Bitcoin development mailing list?
Questions about the reasons behind the suspension have no official answers other than those stated by the people and members of the social networking forum.
In that sense, Ruben Somsen, developer and moderator of Bitcoiner’s mailing mailing list, was the one who shared the first publication that Google described as writing content in the email list. “spammalignant programs or other malicious content » And that’s why he was lying about it:
Somsen accompanied the image, clarifying that he requested a review, “From what I know, nothing inappropriate has been published.”
After that, the moderator of Bitcoin Development Mailing List He created a second publication in X. There, I presented an email I received in a “spam” folder, explaining that an external report had cataloged the content of that email list. Illegal or violationGoogle Legal Team has closed its forum.
From Google, through X’s support account, they have made a “quick investigation” in response to Somse’s publications, but have yet to express any other words.
The discussion behind the temporary closure was not fully revealed, but the halt could be the result of a coordinated attack. Bots or individuals who have reported a list as spam significantly. There is no concrete evidence, but Google’s lack of transparency left space for speculation.
Somsen’s criticism was quick:
“The Bitcoin development list is temporarily unserved. Our violation is that we don’t need content.
Ruben Somsen, Modernador de Bitcoin Development Mailing List
What was clear was the inherent contradictions that Samson and others characterized. Bitcoin-linked projects (forum), It is built on the premise of decentralization to avoid intermediariesIt depends on a centralized platform that can silence it in a single movement.
Critical voice: Concentration as an Achilles heel
The Blackout exposed deeper obstacles, as Jameson Rop, a recognized software engineer and Bitconner, said. «This did not happen SMTP would not cheer, capture or concentrate In the hands of several parents over decades ».
SMTP protocol (Simple email forwarding protocol) This is the communication standard used to send emails over IP networks used in forums Bitcoindev. The system was designed as a distributed system, but its evolution linked it to servers dominated by companies such as Google. This allows for a single point of failure (spam filter or company decisions). Silence important channels.
Another of X has led the analysis to a more practical land. “As a bitcoiner, I say that everything centralized depends on someone or something. The contradiction is technical and philosophical. Bitcoin avoids intermediaries in its protocol, Its development remains fixed on vulnerable infrastructure.
Repairing the list for April 3rd did not end discussion. Google is still home for now Bitcoindevthe incident exposed the vulnerability of this relationship.
When exploring alternatives, Github will show a joint development approach and Nostr, a distributed protocol, as a viable option. However, email formats have roots that are not easily abandoned.
