A Bitquery scan has identified 96,000 outputs linked to fake-address text in Bitcoin’s unspent transaction output database, highlighting how different data practices can affect the network’s infrastructure. The findings, reported by CryptoSlate, contrast the relatively low cost of repeated OP_RETURN use with the substantially different burden created when text is embedded in outputs that remain part of Bitcoin’s unspent database. The scan points to a distinction between transactions that carry data and outputs that continue to require node storage and processing. For Bitcoin (BTC), the issue centers on the resources needed by nodes to maintain the unspent database as these outputs accumulate. The findings do not provide a market forecast, but they add to the broader discussion around non-monetary data use on Bitcoin and its operational costs. Bitquery’s analysis was cited in a CryptoSlate report published on September 4, 2026.
