
Morning Minute: Bitcoin Devs Propose New Quantum Solution
Bitcoin developers suggest freezing unmigrated coins to combat quantum threats.

Charles Hoskinson criticizes Bitcoin's BIP-361 proposal, claiming it threatens Satoshi's coins and could lead to 'legalized theft.' He warns that 1.7 million BTC are at risk due to quantum vulnerabilities.
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A heated confrontation is continuing around Bitcoin, specifically Satoshi’s coins and the quantum threat looming over them. A new round of this confrontation unfolded between Charles Hoskinson and Bitcoin ideologues. The trigger was the discussion of BIP-361, a radical new proposal for protecting the network from quantum computers which, according to Hoskinson, turns Bitcoin into “shitcoin land.”
Presented earlier this week by Jameson Lopp and a group of researchers, BIP-361 implies strict timelines for abandoning old types of addresses vulnerable to quantum attacks: in three years, any incoming transactions to old addresses are banned, and five years after the proposal’s adoption, old digital signatures are made invalid.
Hoskinson, in his latest public airing on X, predictably lashed out at this decision with criticism. Despite Lopp’s thesis that a recovery mechanism and support for frozen wallets are provided, and the fact that if Satoshi himself does not move his coins, they are already effectively dead, Hoskinson believes that even with these reservations, 1.7 million BTC remain at risk.
He emphasized that forced invalidation of old signatures is a direct violation of the principles on which Bitcoin was built and sarcastically wished "good luck" in stealing Satoshi's coins to BIP-361 supporters.
I did mention that. At least 1.7 million Bitcoin will be rendered unrecoverable with your design.
Have fun stealing Satoshi's coins.
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) April 16, 2026
According to the Cardano founder, Bitcoin maximalists have cornered themselves. The network has two bad paths: either allow quantum hackers to steal the coins, or steal them themselves through a soft fork, making them inaccessible to their owners.
BIP-361 is a proposal that aims to protect Bitcoin from quantum attacks by banning transactions to old addresses within three years and invalidating old signatures after five years.
Hoskinson argues that the forced invalidation of old signatures violates Bitcoin's foundational principles and puts 1.7 million BTC at risk, which he sarcastically refers to as 'legalized theft.'
Quantum attacks could compromise the security of Bitcoin by rendering old addresses and signatures invalid, potentially leading to significant financial losses for holders of BTC.

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Some may argue that it is unlikely that Google would sell quantum computing for hacking. Hoskinson also considers it unlikely. However, a Chinese quantum computer that North Korea could rent in 2033, he argues, would show different results.