Merge pull request #1674 from harding/bip148-alert

Alerts: add warning for potential 2017-08-01 BIP148 split

_alerts/2017-07-12-potential-split.md

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+---
+## This file is licensed under the MIT License (MIT) available on
+## http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT.
+
+title: "Potential network disruption"
+shorturl: "potential-split"
+active: true
+banner: "Warning: potential network disruption starting July 31st"
+
+## 7/12 to 7/28: "warning" (orange); 7/29 until resolution: "alert" (red)
+bannerclass: "warning"
+---
+{% assign start='<span class="date">2017/08/01 00:00 UTC</span>' %}
+
+*Last updated: <span class="date">2017/07/12 12:00 UTC</span>.  This
+page will be updated when new information becomes available.  See the
+[list of updates][].*
+
+At {{start}}, Bitcoin [confirmation scores][] may become unreliable for
+an unknown length of time.  This means that any bitcoins you receive
+after that time may later disappear from your wallet or be a
+type of bitcoin that other people will not accept as payment.
+
+Once the situation is resolved, confirmation scores will either
+automatically return to their normal reliability or there will be two
+(or more) competing versions of Bitcoin.  In the former case, you may
+return to using Bitcoin normally; in the later case, you will need to
+take extra steps in order to begin safely receiving bitcoins again.
+
+This post currently describes what actions you can take to prepare for
+this situation.  Subsequent to {{start}}, we will update this post as
+best we can with relevant information, but you are also advised to
+monitor other Bitcoin [news sites][] and [community resources][] for
+updates and to cross-check all information, as someone may attempt to
+spread false news in order to exploit the situation.
+
+Remember that you alone are responsible for the safety of your bitcoins,
+and that if you lose control of them for any reason, there is nothing
+the operators or contributors to this website can do to help you.
+
+*Note:* there is a chance a milder level of disruption could start
+between now and {{start}}. If that is the case, this post will be
+updated with details.
+
+## Preparation
+
+1. If you accept bitcoins as payments, we recommend that you stop
+accepting Bitcoin payments at least 12 hours before {{start}}, although
+24 to 48 hours earlier may be safer.  This will give time for all
+pending payments to confirm on the Bitcoin block chain before the event.
+
+1. If you send bitcoins as payments, note that many services may stop
+accepting bitcoins at {{start}} or earlier.
+
+1. Be wary of storing your bitcoins on an exchange or any service that
+doesn't allow you to make a local backup copy of your private keys.  If
+they accept transactions during the event, they could lose money and
+will likely spread those loses across all their users.  If there end up
+being two or more competing versions of Bitcoin, then they may refuse to
+give you your bitcoins on versions they don't like.
+
+1. Bitcoin may experience significant price fluctuations in relation to
+other currencies.  Learn more about [price volatility][] and ensure you
+aren't holding more bitcoin than you can afford to lose.
+
+## During the event
+
+1. Do not trust any payments you receive after {{start}} until the situation
+is resolved.  No matter how many confirmations the new payment says it
+has, it can disappear from your wallet at any point up until the
+situation is resolved.
+
+1. Try not to send any payments.  During the event there may be two or
+more different types of bitcoin and you may send all of the different
+types to a recipient who only expects one type.  This would benefit the
+recipient at your expense.
+
+1. Be wary of offers to allow you to invest in the outcome of the event
+by "splitting" your coins.  Some of these offers may be scams, and
+software claiming to split your coins can also steal them.
+
+## After the event
+
+We will update this section with more information after {{start}}.
+Please wait until multiple news sources that you trust have stated that
+the event is resolved before returning to normal Bitcoin use.
+
+## Document history
+
+A [full history][] of this document is available.  The following points
+summarize major changes, with the most recent changes being listed
+first.
+
+- <span class="date">2017/07/12 12:00 UTC</span>: initial version.
+
+[full history]: https://github.com/bitcoin-dot-org/bitcoin.org/commits/master/_alerts/2017-07-12-potential-split.md
+[list of updates]: #document-history
+[news sites]: /en/resources#news
+[community resources]: /en/community
+[confirmation scores]: /en/you-need-to-know#instant
+[price volatility]: /en/you-need-to-know#volatile
+
+<script src="/js/jquery/jquery-1.11.2.min.js"></script>
+<script>
+// Localize dates
+$(".date").each(function() {
+  // Try to parse the string as a date
+  epoch = Date.parse($(this).text());
+  // Only convert the string to localtime if it's a number
+  if (isNaN(epoch) == false) {
+    var utcdate=new Date(epoch);
+    var localedate = utcdate.toString();
+    $(this).text(localedate);
+  }
+});
+</script>