Censorship Resistant Consensus

Definition ∞ Censorship Resistant Consensus describes a property of decentralized networks where no single entity or coordinated group can prevent legitimate transactions from being included in the ledger. This ensures that all valid operations submitted by users will eventually be processed and recorded, regardless of external pressures or internal malicious attempts to block them. Achieving this resistance is a core objective for many public blockchains. It safeguards the neutrality and openness of the network.
Context ∞ Discussions surrounding censorship resistant consensus are prominent in news related to blockchain governance, protocol upgrades, and regulatory pressures on digital assets. Events where powerful actors attempt to influence transaction ordering or block specific addresses often highlight the importance of this characteristic. The ongoing pursuit involves refining consensus mechanisms to bolster this resistance, particularly in the face of increasing centralization concerns within mining or validator pools.