Bitcoin experts are baffled that one of their star scientists thinks he's solved the Bitcoin mystery
REUTERS/David McNew
Bitcoin's creator is known as "Satoshi Nakamoto" only no one knows for sure who Satoshi Nakamoto is.
On Monday morning, the controversy erupted again when Australian businessman Craig Wright wrote a blog post claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto.
Wright has been labeled the Bitcoin creator before, in a widely read expose by Wired in 2015. Wired later admitted it might have fallen for "an elaborate, long-planned hoax."
The problem is, that the proof Wright offered in his blog post on Monday, as well as the proof in earlier investigative reports on Wright, has been largely discredited.
'Intentional scammery'
On some levels, the proof isn't that complicated to show. Satoshi Nakamoto owns a unique key. Coded, encrypted messages sent to Satoshi Nakamoto's known public address can only be opened with this key.
Although Wright's blog post talked a lot about cryptography and keys, experts who looked at the post said it was at best inconclusive. At worst, they believed it was a charlatan's trick to fool someone without the technical sophistication to understand it.
Or, as cryptography expert Drew Blas wrote: "Wright's post is flimflam and hokum which stands up to a few minutes of cursory scrutiny, and demonstrates a competent sysadmin's level of familiarity with cryptographic tools, but ultimately demonstrates no non-public information about Satoshi."Another crypto expert, Dan Kaminsky, examined the proof, and labeled it "intentional scammery."
And based on this stuff, anybody who's anyone would likely dismiss Wright's claims but for one thing:
One of the most respected public figures in the Bitcoin world, Bitcoin Foundation chief scientist, Gavin Andresen, believes Wright.
Andresen published his own blog post on Monday where he said Craig Wright is indeed Satoshi Nakamoto and that Wright proved it to him. Andresen didn't share the technical proof.
Banning the top guy
People don't understand why Andresen believes Wright when there's evidence that directly contridicts Wright's claims.
People then started wondering if Andresen's blog and accounts were hacked.
Gavin Andresen
They blocked his Github account from being able to add new code to the Bitcoin project.
Then Andresen said in a public talk on Monday that, no, his accounts were not hacked.
He really believes Wright is the father of Bitcoin.
And the stalemate continues. One of the smartest guys involved in Bitcoin thinks Wright is Satoshi Nakamoto while most of the other smart people involved do not.
As Dan Kaminsky wrote in his post about it all: "UPDATE: *facepalm*"
Andresen has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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