The Lightning Network (LN) faced unusual censorship allegations this weekend after it emerged a participant in the Lightning Torch event refused to include a member from Iran.
Sending Transaction To Iran ‘Very Difficult’
In a debacle which continues to unfold on social media, Coinex executive Ziya Sadr confirmed Peach Inc. senior software engineer Vijay Boyapati declined his request to be involved.
Lightning Torch is a transaction relay in which users join or use LN to receive and contribute to a single Bitcoin (BTC) payment.
Similar to the Olympic Flame, the Torch has gained considerable publicity since it began in January, involving the likes of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Blockstream CEO Adam Back.
As a US resident, however, Boyapati expressed concern that ‘sending’ the Torch – which in reality involves sending a payment – to Sadr would draw the attention of authorities. Iran is currently subject to a host of new US economic sanctions.
“I really really REALLY wanted to send it to (Sadr) but US law makes it very risky for me as a citizen,” he claimed.
Very sad that two peaceful people cannot transact with each other across the world because of the state.
Very sad. Hopefully someone outside the US can do it
— hodlonaut 80 IQ 13%er 🌮⚡🔑 🐝 (@hodlonaut) February 25, 2019
Bitcoin Doesn’t Care?
Sadr responded by avoiding calls to label Boyapati a “moron” for his decision, only confirming the legitimacy of the events.
The Twitter user known as hodlonaut, who started Lightning Torch, described Sadr’s predicament as “very sad.”
The Torch currently resides with Adam Back as of press time Monday. He joined the list of holders behind Charlie Shrem and major US broker Fidelity, which accepted it last week.
Lightning itself continues to grow, with momentum building to take the network’s overall capacity to an all-time high of almost 725 BTC ($2.74 million). The size of the Lightning Torch transaction, by contrast, is 3.6 million satoshis ($137.13).
What do you think about Vijay Boyapati’s decision? Let us know in the comments below!
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