Bitcoin 'bans' Client Operators from Mainland China

In a new twist, and perhaps to put an end to the never-ending ban of Bitcoin by Chinese authorities, a Bitcoin developer has taken it upon himself to code a script that bans any operators from mainland China from downloading Bitcoin's client. 

The proposal posted on GitHub automatically senses a user's IP address. If this beams out from mainland China, the user won't download the client, a nifty way of 'banning' would-be operators from China.

The code by David Burkett presently only supports IPv4, but in later months, IPv6 would be supported the same way. The program also uses an external trusted server meant to filter out IP addresses from the country. 

Still, Bitcoin remains a public program and open source. Although Bitcoin and crypto are banned in China, this position could change in the future as the emerging class carves out a decent market share. This would require more client operators—who form the core infrastructure, ensuring that Bitcoin is robust and censorship-resistant.

China plans to launch its CBDC, the Digital Yuan—which is at an advanced experimentation stage. Observers say the 'cleansing' is designed to ensure minimal opposition to a government and central bank-sanctioned digital currency. The ban of private cryptocurrencies under the guise of environmental conservation and prevention of energy waste is a front for a smooth landing of the Digital Yuan.