Given that Binance Smart Chain only has 21 validators, and they are all appointed by Binance, is it feasible that the blockchain could be shutdown by a government order?
If not, than what's the point of having more than 21 validators?
Given that Binance Smart Chain only has 21 validators, and they are all appointed by Binance, is it feasible that the blockchain could be shutdown by a government order?
If not, than what's the point of having more than 21 validators?
It could. Having more than 21 doesn't matter unless they are decentralized. As of right now, the government can just target the 21 and BSC will be down forever.
What if there are non-validator nodes that hold the entire blockchain?
If the current 21 validators were forced to shutdown, couldn't the backup nodes replace them?
It could but I don't think Binance has set any backup nodes. I remember transactions being slow on BSC before because the some nodes were down.
https://peakd.com/@forexbrokr/cz-s-sole-authority-over-bnb-smart-chain-is-a-problem
Say CZ was compelled to shutdown the entire chain again, would it not be possible for external non-validator nodes (backup nodes) to replace the nodes that he shutdown?