TON Resumes Operations After Block Production Outage Post DOGS Launch

The Open Network (TON) blockchain has resumed normal operations after experiencing a disruption that halted block production for several hours. Such a significant interruption raises concerns about network stability, potentially affecting security and causing transaction delays. 

On August 28 at 5:30 am UTC, the TON Foundation announced on X that the network is back to its usual block production, stating, “TON is now producing blocks normally! We are back online.”

The Network Resumption

Data from the TON transaction scanner Dton.io confirms that block production has resumed, with the blockchain’s total block count reaching 231,879,089 at the time of writing.

The update from TON confirming the network’s return came a few hours after the TON Foundation reported the disruption. The halt was attributed to an exceptionally high network load, largely due to the airdrop of Dogs (DOGS), a new memecoin linked to the Telegram community. The surge in transaction volume caused the network’s transactions per second (TPS) to drop below expected levels.

Additionally, several validators faced issues clearing old transactions from the database, leading to a loss of consensus. The TON development team called validators to restart at 4:00 am UTC to restore consensus.

Community Reaction

Before the outage, TON’s native cryptocurrency, Toncoin, experienced a price decline, diverging from broader market trends. Following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France on August 25, Toncoin’s value fell by over 17% to $5.521. This decline was influenced by Durov’s arrest, which affected the market due to Telegram’s association with the TON blockchain. 

Durov’s arrest has sparked strong reactions from the crypto community, with many criticizing it as a severe infringement on freedom of expression and privacy rights.

In response, the TON Society, an organization dedicated to supporting the TON blockchain, has launched a campaign calling for Durov’s release. They introduced an Open Letter Mini App within Telegram, encouraging users to sign and share a letter addressed to French authorities. The letter advocates for Durov’s release and emphasizes the need to protect freedom of expression and privacy.

𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐓𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 #FREEDUROV.

An Open Letter Mini App in Telegram.

Anyone who values privacy and freedom of speech should sign this letter to French… pic.twitter.com/i46ohO7F9G

— TON Society (@ton_society) August 27, 2024

The TON Society is mobilizing Telegram users to support this campaign by signing the letter and sharing it on social media with the hashtag #FREEDUROV. They aim to gather significant support from those who value privacy and freedom of speech.