Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2016 07:51:17 +0200
From: "Wladimir J. van der Laan" <laanwj@gmail.com>
To: Gregory Maxwell <greg@xiph.org>,
	Bitcoin Protocol Discussion <bitcoin-dev@lists.linuxfoundation.org>
Message-ID: <20160910055117.GA5726@amethyst.visucore.com>
References: <CAAS2fgTYOUSm07N4NYDCsjjwSbAo_ye84UvbQF--3JzhLHkG0Q@mail.gmail.com>
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Subject: Re: [bitcoin-dev] Completing the retirement of the alert system
Precedence: list

On Sat, Sep 10, 2016 at 12:42:30AM +0000, Gregory Maxwell via bitcoin-dev wrote:
> The alert system was a centralized facility to allow trusted parties
> to send messages to be displayed in wallet software (and, very early
> on, actually remotely trigger the software to stop transacting).
> 
> It has been removed completely in Bitcoin Core after being disabled for a while.

As it has been disabled in relevant software I think it's mostly symbolic at
this point, but yes, it makes sense to 'officially' retire the key. Let's
pin the date and make it widely known.

Doing this in organized fashion is much better than the whodunit that would
undoubtly follow when the key would simply leak, which could happen at any
time, as no one can know who it has spread to over all those years.

Re: timing, I'd say leave three months grace time after this announcement for
altcoins and such that may have accidentally have copied it to remove it, then
at the beginning of 2017 broadcast the final alert.

After that it's neutered, it's up to each of us that has the key to reveal it
or not or when. It's a historical curiosity then.

Wladimir