Bitcoin Core has released a Bitcoin Core Development and Transaction Relay Policy Statement

On June 7th, the Bitcoin Core Project issued a statement indicating that Bitcoin is a network defined by its users. These users possess the ultimate freedom of choice. They are able to run any software they desire to use (whether it is for full validation or not), and can enforce any policies they are willing to adhere to. Bitcoin Core contributors do not have the power to dictate the rules that users must follow. This principle is manifested in a long-standing practice: The Bitcoin Core software does not support automatic updates. This implies that no entity can unilaterally impose changes on Bitcoin Core users. All changes must be actively chosen by the user, either to upgrade to a new software version or to select different software. This freedom to run any software serves as the primary safeguard of the Bitcoin network against external coercion. “As developers of Bitcoin Core, we also hold the belief that we have a responsibility to ensure that the Bitcoin Core software operates its core functions of validation and relaying blocks and transactions in the most efficient and reliable manner to support the success of Bitcoin as a decentralized digital currency. Regarding transaction relaying, the Bitcoin Core may implement certain policies such as: Denial-of-Service (DoS) protection mechanisms; fee estimation strategies. However, we will not block the relaying of transactions that have sustained economic demand and can reliably be included in blocks. Our goals in designing transaction relay policies encompass: Predicting which transactions will be included in blocks (which is crucial for fee estimation, RBF (fee bumping), and serves as the basis for many DoS protection strategies); accelerating the block propagation speed of transactions that are about to be included to reduce network latency and prevent large miners from gaining unfair advantages; helping miners promptly receive fee-inclusive transactions to avoid relying on off-chain backchannel transactions outside of mining pools, as this would undermine mining decentralization. If we intentionally refuse to relay transactions that miners will eventually include, users will be forced to resort to other communication methods, which will actually undermine the above-mentioned goals.”