## Why can a decentralized exchange halt trading or temporarily deactivate features?
This question comes up regularly, and it's a fair one.
First, these measures are not strictly enforced. Users can opt out by starting Bisq with the `ignoreDevMsg=true` program argument. This option exists to ensure developers cannot unilaterally force restrictions on users.
The purpose of these emergency mechanisms is to help prevent greater harm in exceptional situations, such as the May 1 security incident or the recent discovery of critical vulnerabilities. In those cases, temporarily disabling certain functionality is the safest way to reduce the risk of users losing funds while a fix is being prepared and deployed.
### Why not leave that decision entirely to users?
The challenge is that disclosing the details of a critical vulnerability before a fix is widely available would also reveal the information needed to exploit it. That means users would have to make a decision without access to the very information that would allow them to assess the risk. In practice, this makes informed individual decision-making difficult.
### Isn't that centralized?
Emergency mechanisms like this are not unique to Bisq. Bitcoin itself originally included an Alert system that allowed developers to notify users of critical issues. Once Bitcoin had matured and the ecosystem no longer depended on it, that feature was removed.
Bisq is still evolving and operates in a very different environment, with a smaller user base and more rapid protocol development. At its current stage, we believe these emergency tools provide an important layer of protection against severe incidents.
At the same time, users who prefer full control can opt out of these protections. That choice is respected, but it also means accepting responsibility for the additional risk. If emergency warnings or temporary safeguards are intentionally bypassed and an exploit occurs, the Bisq project cannot provide support or compensation for resulting losses.
bisq / Bisq
npub1sq…t5net
2026-07-07 13:00:55 UTC
Author Public Key
npub1sqn6rpml88nq8khuvvneuqztfmvalpsarr8grkwy837hzdw63ajs6t5netPublished at
2026-07-07 13:00:55 UTCEvent JSON
{
"id": "067e08370c13a42bb1b370e93dd779c016b28d98ce7d9854e683545ea2e9a885",
"pubkey": "8027a1877f39e603dafc63279e004b4ed9df861d18ce81d9c43c7d7135da8f65",
"created_at": 1783429255,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [
[
"r",
"wss://relay.damus.io/"
],
[
"r",
"wss://nos.lol/"
],
[
"r",
"wss://nostr.oxtr.dev/"
],
[
"r",
"wss://relay.nostr.info/"
],
[
"r",
"wss://relay.primal.net/"
],
[
"r",
"wss://relay.mostr.pub/"
],
[
"r",
"wss://nostr.wine/"
],
[
"r",
"wss://eden.nostr.land/"
],
[
"r",
"wss://relay.snort.social/"
],
[
"r",
"wss://offchain.pub/"
],
[
"r",
"wss://nostr.land/"
],
[
"client",
"Primal Web"
]
],
"content": "## Why can a decentralized exchange halt trading or temporarily deactivate features?\n\nThis question comes up regularly, and it's a fair one.\n\nFirst, these measures are not strictly enforced. Users can opt out by starting Bisq with the `ignoreDevMsg=true` program argument. This option exists to ensure developers cannot unilaterally force restrictions on users.\n\nThe purpose of these emergency mechanisms is to help prevent greater harm in exceptional situations, such as the May 1 security incident or the recent discovery of critical vulnerabilities. In those cases, temporarily disabling certain functionality is the safest way to reduce the risk of users losing funds while a fix is being prepared and deployed.\n\n### Why not leave that decision entirely to users?\n\nThe challenge is that disclosing the details of a critical vulnerability before a fix is widely available would also reveal the information needed to exploit it. That means users would have to make a decision without access to the very information that would allow them to assess the risk. In practice, this makes informed individual decision-making difficult.\n\n### Isn't that centralized?\n\nEmergency mechanisms like this are not unique to Bisq. Bitcoin itself originally included an Alert system that allowed developers to notify users of critical issues. Once Bitcoin had matured and the ecosystem no longer depended on it, that feature was removed.\n\nBisq is still evolving and operates in a very different environment, with a smaller user base and more rapid protocol development. At its current stage, we believe these emergency tools provide an important layer of protection against severe incidents.\n\nAt the same time, users who prefer full control can opt out of these protections. That choice is respected, but it also means accepting responsibility for the additional risk. If emergency warnings or temporary safeguards are intentionally bypassed and an exploit occurs, the Bisq project cannot provide support or compensation for resulting losses.\n",
"sig": "90f0e4a76210f5105f46e4a3a6a3edee0c6ac2c4a23873aaf26a90137e9e850bfd8a3b705b9b603eeb445b3d6fc04dd393c9d313fc5afec3441944c4fad59b33"
}