Bitcoin Community Condemns Proposed eCash Hard Fork as 'Theft' Over Satoshi Coin Reassignment

A long-standing Bitcoin developer, Paul Sztorc, has unveiled a proposal for a hard fork in August 2026, dubbed eCash, which aims to create a new Bitcoin chain with its own set of rules and features, including the integration of Drivechains. The plan involves duplicating Bitcoin's code and granting existing bitcoin holders equivalent tokens on the new network. However, the community is up in arms over the proposed reassignment of coins linked to Bitcoin's elusive founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, with some labeling it as outright theft. The eCash hard fork is envisioned as a near-replica of the existing Bitcoin blockchain, with the key addition of Drivechains, a scaling solution first proposed by Sztorc in 2015. Drivechains are essentially sidechains tethered to the Bitcoin blockchain, facilitating seamless movement of BTC between the main chain and sidechains without altering Bitcoin's base layer. Each sidechain can operate under its own rules and features, enabling developers to introduce new capabilities on top of Bitcoin without requiring the entire network to adopt those changes. The hard fork is scheduled to occur at Bitcoin block height 964,000 in August 2026, with a coin-splitter tool to be released to help holders separate their BTC from their new eCash tokens. The proposed fork has been met with widespread criticism, with many expressing concerns over the precedent it sets and the potential risks it poses to the broader Bitcoin community. Prominent figures, including Bitcoin advocate Peter McCormack and Pixelated Ink's chief technology officer Josh Ellithorpe, have denounced the plan, citing the reassignment of Satoshi coins as a form of theft and a misrepresentation of the Bitcoin Cash fork. The controversy surrounding the eCash hard fork has sparked a heated debate within the Bitcoin community, with many calling for a more transparent and collaborative approach to the development of the proposed fork.