On November 15, 2018, the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) blockchain experienced a split known as a “hard fork”. Some of the core computers that were part of the BCH network adopted one standard. Others adopted a different, incompatible standard. As a result, where BCH once stood, two separate blockchains now operate: the continuing BCH, also known as “Bitcoin Cash ABC” or “Bitcoin ABC”; and “Bitcoin Satoshi Vision”, also known as “BSV” or “BCH-BSV”.
Hard Forks Need Replay Protection
When a hard forks happens, the risk of a “transaction replay” arises. That’s when a new transaction broadcast to the blockchain is received on both sides of the fork, accepted on both sides, and risks compromising everyone involved.
Built-in “replay protection” is a way of making sure a post-fork transaction can’t be successfully broadcast on both sides. But neither of the two BCH forks, BCH and BSV, has replay protection. In fact, since the fork, many transactions have been replicated on both networks, leading to the kind of unwanted result that replay protection is needed to fix.
Appetite for Risk
Because there was no immediate way to add replay protection, we initially disabled Jaxx Liberty’s and Jaxx Classic’s ability to build and broadcast BCH transactions. This gave us time to seek a solution for our users.
Things aren’t there yet. The community needs more time to develop replay protection for BCH. But demand by Jaxx Liberty and Jaxx Classic users to re-enable BCH sending has been growing significantly anyway, even despite the risk attached to unprotected BCH transactions
To respond to that demand, we have decided to re-enable unprotected BCH sending. We will provide users with information about risks and protection options when using BCH.
Enabling Unprotected BCH Transactions
Once BCH sends are enabled during the week of February 11, 2019*, you will want to be sure you are aware of replay risks before using them and act accordingly. A few suggestions:
- Send your BCH (and BSV) to one of the exchanges that automatically replays and credits your wallets with both BCH and BSV. You will then be able to trade and withdraw BCH back to Jaxx Liberty, should you wish. That BCH will now be replay-protected.
- Use a replay protection service like Bitmain’s or Coinomi’s. These services require the user to send a small amount of BCH to the replay protection service which, in turn, will return to the user’s wallet a small, “sanitized” quantity, preventing that wallet’s BCH from being replayed on the BSV network. This can be a complex approach that is difficult for less advanced users to understand, so if you decide to go with it, make sure you fully understand the steps required.
- Wait until a compatible library with replay protection becomes available, and has been implemented by Jaxx Liberty. Once that takes place, BCH transactions in Jaxx Liberty will be protected again.
The first two suggestions above involve third parties. They’re well outside Decentral’s control, and we can’t vouch for them. Make sure to do research before deciding on which approach to take. Explore and be aware of the potential risks.
If you’re having any issues, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via our support team. But keep in mind that because we didn’t develop any of these tools, the support we can provide in relation to them is limited. Our scope is limited to Jaxx Liberty and Jaxx Classic themselves.
* Update: BCH has since been enabled on both Jaxx Classic and Jaxx Liberty.