1\ There is an alarming amount of misinformation (fueled by the media) on what exactly happened to Bitcoin yesterday, and whether funds were "double spent"

Here's everything you need to know 👇

2\ On the 18th, a user broadcast a transaction with very low fees.

When users underpay fees, their transactions gets stuck because miners have more profitable opportunities.

Users are left with 2 options:

a) wait until fee levels drop
b) tell miners they will increase fees
3\ The most popular way to (b) increase fees of an already-broadcast transaction is through a "Replace By Fee (RBF)" transaction.

Put simply, RBF is a copy-and-paste of the original transaction with higher fees and an explicit instruction to favor the new transaction instead.
4\ Nearly a day passed after our infamous user broadcast the original transaction and miners did not include it.

So the user decided to issue an RBF on the 19th with higher fees... but not high enough!

And the transaction was again stuck...
5\ A couple of hours later, the user decided to bump fees up again via a second RBF!

This time around the user paid enough fees.
6\ So, to recap, the user broadcast a total of 3 transactions:

1) Dec 18th 22:11 UTC (1 sat/b)
2) Dec 19th 21:22 UTC (9.4 sat/b)
3) Dec 20th 00:32 UTC (14.3 sat/b)

And here's where things get a bit more complex
7\ At around 1:18AM the blockchain split into 2 versions, which is an entirely normal occurrence; a fundamental part of how Bitcoin works.

When this happens (1+ times per month), miners need to converge on a single version of events, which often takes around 1 block, or 10 min.
8\ However... by the time the user broadcast the third transaction, fee levels had quieted down and the chain was split:

-One miner picked the first (low fee) transaction for their version of the chain
-The other miner picked up the third (highest fee RBF transaction)
9\ The thing about RBFs is that they're entirely optional. Miners decide which transaction to pick.

In this occasion it might have looked like a malicious "double spend" (inflation), but it is a completely normal event.
10\ The chain was split for 1 block (again, normal), but ultimately the miner on the branch with the low fee transaction ended up winning.

The important thing to know is that, yes, there might be different versions of the same transaction, but ONLY 1 will ultimately be accepted.
11\ @0xB10C (follow this man) made a helpful timeline of events using @coinmetrics data:
12\ Again, RBFs in stale blocks is business as usual.

No reason to freak out. No inflation, no "double-spend" was actually confirmed. Just a ton of loud ignorance and misinformation.
13\ This is a wake up call for crypto media. Looking at you @crypto and @Cointelegraph

You benefit by serving crypto adds. I urge you to at the very least understand your responsibility and step up your technical game.

How about sponsoring a bitcoin developer?
14\ Another clarifying point: @BitMEXResearch is doing an amazing job for the community with https://t.co/k9MhseACnP and https://t.co/0gjizyXMy7

Their depiction of what happened was accurate. Unfortunately, their post was grossly misrepresented misrepresented for clickbait...

More from Bitcoin

1/ If, like me, you've been looking at #Bitcoin over the last few years with interest, but you have never really decided which side of the fence you sit on, this thread might be good for you.

This isn't another opinion piece on #Bitcoin , in-fact, it's exactly the opposite. 👇🏼

This thread is a list of resources I have found to be useful and insightful when it comes to understanding the pros and cons of #Bitcoin .

Below, you'll find knowledgeable people 👩🏽‍💻, articles/essays 📝, podcasts 🎧 and videos 📹 about #Bitcoin . Enjoy!

/2 People 👩🏽‍💻

These individuals are valuable to listen to, whilst they are bullish, they justify their stance:

@RaoulGMI
@michael_saylor
@DTAPCAP
@APompliano
@VentureCoinist
@AlexSaundersAU
@danheld
@aantonop
@jchervinsky
@real_vijay
@lawmaster
@LynAldenContact

/3 Resources 🏢

A video library of interviews from various Bitcoin enthusiasts. 👇🏼

https://t.co/CJJvHavSOn

A great guide for new investors to Bitcoin. 👇🏼

https://t.co/fOoSfTlWr5

A portal for people to go from zero knowledge to intermediate level.

/4 Tweet threads 🐦

A great thread on rebuttals from common #Bitcoin queries/criticisms. 👇🏼

https://t.co/tPEpFMMPhH

Why companies are starting to put BTC on the balance sheet. 👇🏼

https://t.co/lL71M1A3NF

“A double-spend broke Bitcoin" debunked.
I will be a buyer under 13800 levels, but depending upon the reversal on smaller timeframe.

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#தினம்_ஒரு_திருவாசகம்
தொல்லை இரும்பிறவிச் சூழும் தளை நீக்கி
அல்லல் அறுத்து ஆனந்தம் ஆக்கியதே – எல்லை
மருவா நெறியளிக்கும் வாதவூர் எங்கோன்
திருவாசகம் என்னும் தேன்

பொருள்:
1.எப்போது ஆரம்பித்தது என அறியப்படமுடியாத தொலை காலமாக (தொல்லை)

2. இருந்து வரும் (இரும்)


3.பிறவிப் பயணத்திலே ஆழ்த்துகின்ற (பிறவி சூழும்)

4.அறியாமையாகிய இடரை (தளை)

5.அகற்றி (நீக்கி),

6.அதன் விளைவால் சுகதுக்கமெனும் துயரங்கள் விலக (அல்லல் அறுத்து),

7.முழுநிறைவாய்த் தன்னுளே இறைவனை உணர்த்துவதே (ஆனந்த மாக்கியதே),

8.பிறந்து இறக்கும் காலவெளிகளில் (எல்லை)

9.பிணைக்காமல் (மருவா)

10.காக்கும் மெய்யறிவினைத் தருகின்ற (நெறியளிக்கும்),

11.என் தலைவனான மாணிக்க வாசகரின் (வாதவூரெங்கோன்)

12.திருவாசகம் எனும் தேன் (திருவா சகமென்னுந் தேன்)

முதல்வரி: பிறவி என்பது முன்வினை விதையால் முளைப்பதோர் பெருமரம். அந்த ‘முன்வினை’ எங்கு ஆரம்பித்தது எனச் சொல்ல இயலாது. ஆனால் ‘அறியாமை’ ஒன்றே ஆசைக்கும்,, அச்சத்துக்கும் காரணம் என்பதால், அவையே வினைகளை விளைவிப்பன என்பதால், தொடர்ந்து வரும் பிறவிகளுக்கு, ‘அறியாமையே’ காரணம்

அறியாமைக்கு ஆரம்பம் கிடையாது. நமக்கு ஒரு பொருளைப் பற்றிய அறிவு எப்போதிருந்து இல்லை? அதைச் சொல்ல முடியாது. அதனாலேதான் முதலடியில், ஆரம்பமில்லாத அஞ்ஞானத்தை பிறவிகளுக்குக் காரணமாகச் சொல்லியது. ஆனால் அறியாமை, அறிவின் எழுச்சியால், அப்போதே முடிந்து விடும்.