Bitcoin Core Developer Jameson Lopp: Better to Freeze 5.6 Million Long-Dormant BTC Than Let Them Fall into Quantum Attackers' Hands
Bitcoin core developer Jameson Lopp stated that compared to the potential for future quantum computing to crack old address private keys, he prefers to freeze approximately 5.6 million long-dormant BTC that have not moved for over 10 years. These bitcoins may be permanently lost, valued at about $420 billion at current prices, and if acquired and transferred by quantum attackers, could trigger severe market volatility or even a crisis of confidence.
The community recently proposed BIP-361, which discusses gradually phasing out quantum-vulnerable old signature mechanisms and migrating to quantum-resistant addresses. This proposal is still in its early stages and resembles a contingency plan for extreme risks rather than a formal push. Lopp emphasized that while this move is not an ideal choice, it is better than allowing these assets to become a systemic threat.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
Lopp的表态将量子计算风险从抽象技术威胁转化为具体的网络治理权衡。560万枚沉睡BTC约占总供应量的28%，其中大量为早期Pay-to-Public-Key地址，这些地址的椭圆曲线签名在量子计算机成熟后理论上可被Shor算法高效破解。冻结机制通过逐步失效旧签名交易，强制未迁移资产无法转移，实质上是牺牲部分历史持有者的名义所有权，以换取网络整体的抗量子完整性，避免突发性大额供给冲击。
从制度约束角度看，这一讨论暴露比特币协议在长期安全性与不可篡改性之间的内在张力。比特币的核心设计依赖去中心化共识和后向兼容，任何主动冻结或“日落”旧机制的提案都可能被视为对财产权利的干预，引发关于“代码即法律”边界的争议。BIP-361的三阶段迁移路径试图通过时间缓冲降低冲击，但成功取决于社区共识形成速度与实际迁移率，历史协议升级经验显示，涉及大量价值转移的变更往往面临激烈分歧。
长期结构变化在于，量子威胁加速了比特币从静态价值存储向主动风险管理基础设施的演化。沉睡币的存在曾被视为供应紧缩的天然缓冲，如今却成为潜在不稳定源头。若量子计算突破时间早于预期，此类预案可能推动比特币向混合签名体系迁移，进而影响其作为全球储备资产的定价权与采用曲线，同时考验去中心化治理在处理极端技术不确定性时的分配效率与协调能力。