Bitcoin blockchain contains child abuse content, causing miners to be considered perverts?

[Technews Technology News] German researchers discovered that unknown persons used the Bitcoin blockchain to store child abuse images. The ethical and legal issues involved have become a time bomb for the future development of blockchain.

The Bitcoin blockchain is an open-source distributed ledger that records Bitcoin transactions, but it can also store small amounts of data. Usually, this data is related to Bitcoin transactions, but some people use it to store files or links. Researchers at RWTH Aachen University in Germany found that there are currently about 1,600 files stored in the Bitcoin blockchain. Among these files, at least 8 contain content related to sexual behavior, one of which is believed to be a picture of child abuse, and two files contain 274 links to child abuse content.

The researchers pointed out in the report that illegal pornography could make blockchain illegal. Although there is no precedent, laws in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States may make blockchain illegal due to child abuse images. This will jeopardize the multi-billion dollar cryptocurrency market.

Although using Bitcoin does not require the entire Bitcoin blockchain, processes such as mining require downloading the entire blockchain. "Since all blockchain data is downloaded and permanently stored by users, they are also responsible for inappropriate content added to the blockchain by others. Therefore, as long as there is illegal content on the blockchain, anyone participating in the blockchain will be breaking the law," the researchers wrote in the report.

In simple terms, if the blockchain contains illegal child abuse content, then miners or other Bitcoin users who download the entire blockchain will also download these contents and be investigated by the police as child abusers. Therefore, illegal content such as child abuse may bring huge risks to the blockchain in the future. After all, no one wants to be implicated in a criminal case just for mining.

This is not the first time that someone has warned about files stored on blockchain. In 2015, Interpol warned that the design of blockchain could make it impossible to delete malware or illegal files after they are added. "Blockchain could become a haven for storing child sexual abuse images," Interpol warned.

This finding also means that blockchain technology has brought new ethical and legal challenges, and effective solutions are needed to prevent blockchain from becoming a hotbed for crime.