The Bitcoin Development Mailing List on Google Groups experienced a ban for several hours due to spam allegations, disrupting communication among Bitcoin core developers and researchers. The ban occurred on April 2, with the group being flagged by Google for containing spam or malicious content. Bryan Bishop, a Bitcoin Core developer, suggested that the ban could have been triggered by individuals or bots mass-reporting the mailing list from multiple accounts, a tactic often employed to censor communities. Google Workspace Support confirmed the issue was resolved by April 3. Jack Dorsey, a notable Bitcoin advocate, also urged Google CEO Sundar Pichai to look into the matter. Despite the incident, the mailing list moderators have no plans to abandon email as their primary communication tool, emphasizing the necessity of continuity in discussing Bitcoin protocol developments. The mailing list has been operational since its inception with Bitcoin's early discussions and previously hosted on other platforms before moving to Google Groups in February 2024.

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