ok, so the miners actually decide what gets into the block and that Op_Return data is stored on individual nodes.
i thought maybe Knots would save the transaction data but leave off the Op_Return data if Op_Return > 40 bytes. from a search, however, Op_return does contain transaction data so it can't be left out.
i'm not advocating censuring transactions, I just do not want to save Op_return data that doesn't have anything to do with UTXOs and addresses.
neither OP_RETURN nor witness data can be left out when propagating blocks, as they are part of what is hashed in the transaction to generate the merkle tree hash that sits at the end of the block header.
nobody with a brain wants to store bullshit data for free for anyone else. it's miners and shitcoiners who benefit from it, the former temporarily with fees, the latter, by degrading their competition.
the essence of their attack on bitcoin is to scare small node runners away from performing full network service by making blocks unpalatable. they are muddying the waters to increase uncertainty. the attack won't work to impact bitcoin, per se, because big miners can't be risking liability any more than they already are. but driving node runners off the p2p network will reduce their influence on governance of bitcoin when they conveniently roll out a new USAF to "solve" the problem, they will get what they want.
UASF user activated soft fork.
this is where little node runners have an effect on bitcoin.
it's how segwit got through instead of forking the chain.
