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Bitcoin Cash Lead Developer Banned From BCH Slack Channel

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David Hundeyin
Last Updated

Bitcoin Cash lead creator Amaury Séchet has reportedly been expelled from the cryptocurrency’s Slack community following a dispute over his proposal to reduce transaction times using the “pre-consensus” framework. Prominent Bitcoin Cash promoter Roger Ver broke the news on a Reddit thread  that attracted more than 800 comments.

“Benevolent Dictator” of Bitcoin Cash

Having been with the project from its very beginning as the so-called “benevolent dictator” of Bitcoin Cash, Séchet was instrumental in pushing for several changes such as the present Emergency Problem Adjustment solution.

According to many sources, he was very vocal abut his preference for a “pre-consensus” solution, which would function as a kind of organised settlement with block miners to reduce the speed of orphaned blocks. This proposal however, was opposed by other members of the community, notably by Craig Wright.

https://twitter.com/ProfFaustus/status/1027345654526496768

On Aug. 7, the conversation in the Slack channel apparently became heated, eventually leading to Amaury’s expulsion from the group, ostensibly for bad behavior.

In a screenshot  shared on the Reddit thread, BCH Strategist Joel Dalais, who doubles as a BCH Slack moderator, answers a question from another user about Séchet’s whereabouts, revealing that he banned him for creating a “disturbance.”

Another user then adds for good measure:

“This Slack never had the intention of having unrestricted speech. That’s why it was forked from the BTC Slack.”

bitcoin cash
Source: Reddit

Free Speech Controversy

Expectedly, the Séchet’s banning has caused a substantial reaction in the wider Bitcoin community, with many posters on the Reddit thread  stating that such actions are in direct opposition to Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin vision.

Due to the libertarian origins of Bitcoin, which is still reflected in the political leanings of many in the community, a number of users have taken to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction over what they view as censorship.

Some other users however have taken the position that Séchet’s expulsion was in order, stating that even within the crypto world, there are limits on free speech. On the Reddit thread, a number of posts make reference to him being “toxic” and “attacking” other members on the Slack community, though these claims have not been substantiated.

The news comes at a contentious time for the Bitcoin Cash and the wider Bitcoin ecosystem, which has been pummeled in recent days by falling prices and anxiety over delayed regulatory decisions. Only two weeks ago, the Bitcoin community experienced its own divisive public row  on Github over the ownership of the Bitcoin.org website.

One camp demanded that pseudonymous user Cobra-Bitcoin hand over ownership of the Bitcoin.org domain to Theymos, or hand over permanently to a community trust.

Featured Image from CoinGeek/YouTube 

David Hundeyin

I am a busy Nigerian writer, journalist and writer with an interest in tech and finance. When I'm not contributing to CCN and traveling around Africa, you can catch me contributing to CNN Africa, or in the writers room at 'The Other News', Nigeria's weekly answer to 'The Daily Show' with nearly 2 million viewers. My work on 'The Other News' was featured in the New Yorker Magazine, and that was then cited in the Washington Post so I'm not sure that counts as a feature but I'll definitely mention it too! I have been nominated by the US State Department to take part in the 2019 Edward R. Murrow Program for journalists under the International Visitors Leadership Program. I also like hamsters.
You can reach me on Twitter at _David_Hundeyin 
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