Slashdot Mirror


Bitcoin 'Creator' Reneges On Promise To Provide More Proof, Says He's Sorry (bbc.com)

Craig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto -- the creator of bitcoin -- has backtracked on a pledge to provide more proof of his earlier claims. Wright says that he lacks the courage to face allegations. On May 1, Wright claimed that he was the creator of bitcoin, offering digital signature, signed using a private key that was thought to be held by Nakamoto. We later learned that the "proof" Wright offered was simply copied from an older transaction. At the time, Wright assured that he will be moving early bitcoins as "extraordinary evidence". On Thursday, Wright wrote in a blog post that he is "sorry," and that he cannot do this. He writes: I believed that I could do this. I believed that I could put the years of anonymity and hiding behind me. But, as the events of this week unfolded and I prepared to publish the proof of access to the earliest keys, I broke. I do not have the courage. I cannot. When the rumors began, my qualifications and character were attacked. When those allegations were proven false, new allegations have already begun. I know now that I am not strong enough for this. I know that this weakness will cause great damage to those that have supported me, and particularly to Jon Matonis and Gavin Andresen. I can only hope that their honour and credibility is not irreparably tainted by my actions. They were not deceived, but I know that the world will never believe that now. I can only say I'm sorry.

133 comments

  1. Classic by Calavar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Now that he's exposed, the scam artist tries to play the role of victim.

    1. Re:Classic by NotDrWho · · Score: 1

      And he used the generic "I'm sorry," no less.

      Sorry for what? Because if you're not willing to say, then you're not really sorry, are you?

      The generic "I'm sorry" is almost as inauthentic as the patronizing "I'm sorry you misunderstood me."

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    2. Re:Classic by BlueMonk · · Score: 1

      There's no point in saying what he's sorry for because he can only be sorry for 1 of 2 things: 1) Deceiving everyone about being the creator; 2) Not being willing to expose himself as the creator. Claiming to be sorry for #2 (which I think he pretty clearly did) won't really make much difference to people who want to believe #1 anyway. If it did, it would kind of defeat the purpose of keeping the creator anonymous. He could outright apologize for #1, but if he is in fact the creator, then he'd be lying. It's a bit of an information paradox buried in here somewhere.

    3. Re:Classic by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 2

      "I'm not strong enough for this"...for dealing with accusations of fraud. So he decides not to offer incontrovertible proof then stride around with a 10 foot cock of titanium.

      Riiiiiiiight.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    4. Re: Classic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The next step is to create a Silicon Valley advocacy group for diversity of and equal rights for lying pussies in the workforce. He should get Ellen Pao to help out.

    5. Re:Classic by butzwonker · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I've read that it's the #1 indicator of guilt in police interrogations. An accused denies everything for hours, and just when he leaves the room turns around and says something like "I'm sorry I couldn't help you" to the officer.

    6. Re: Classic by Peteroo · · Score: 1

      But isn't that indistinguishable from an innocent who actually does wish he could help the officer?

    7. Re:Classic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where did you read that? The back of a cereal packet? You've been watching too much Columbo mate.

    8. Re: Classic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's based on Human psychology, not Vulcan logic.

    9. Re:Classic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I recall correctly, I think it was in an interview with a senior police detective and interrogation trainer. Anyway, I know for sure that it wasn't a cereal packet, because I don't eat cereals.

    10. Re:Classic by Agent0013 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but "those people" don't care about getting to the truth. They only care about getting someone to confess, even if it is a wrongful conviction. They would count an innocent man going to jail as a success and the same man leaving free to be a failure.

      --

      -- ssoorrrryy,, dduupplleexx sswwiittcchh oonn.. -Quote found on actual fortune cookie.
    11. Re:Classic by TheCastro1689 · · Score: 2

      Fucking Columbo solves shit through practicality, he doesn't need someone apologizing for not being able to help. He breaks down their bullshit lies.

    12. Re: Classic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not sure I get your analogy. Why would anyone believe his claims without proof? How does this "10 foot cock of titanium" exist in anybody's mind but his? Clearly, he is a cover for a cover for a cover at least. I am sure he has been offered a large sum of bitcoins in return. If I were the creator of bitcoin (which I am not) that is what I would have done. Then again, the creator must not be too bright if he thought botcoin would actually work. That is just not how you produce a currency. Currencies are merely symbols of trust. I trust the dollar, because it has held up through many years and some of mankind's darkest days. It is a symbol of freedom and hope.

    13. Re:Classic by peawormsworth · · Score: 1

      ...1 of 2 things: 1) ... 2) Not being willing to expose himself as the creator.

      option #2 is no longer a possibility. And I did check the other alternate realities to confirm this.

  2. "No, Timmy, say it right." by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He didn't say he was sorry for lying about being Satoshi. He said he's sorry that everybody is being a bunch of dicks to him, by asking him to provide ordinary proof for his extraordinary claim.

    1. Re:"No, Timmy, say it right." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      he didn't say sorry at all... he only said that he CAN say sorry.

    2. Re: "No, Timmy, say it right." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would someone apologize for something they didn't do? That makes no sense.

    3. Re: "No, Timmy, say it right." by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 0

      Why would someone apologize for something they didn't do? That makes no sense.

      Sure it does.

      (He says) he's apologizing for causing trouble for (named and unnamed) others by coming out of the closet without adequate proof - and guts - to weather the attacks and claims for more proof that would result.

      Regardless of whether his claims are true, that's understandable and legit.

      --
      Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
    4. Re:"No, Timmy, say it right." by jdavidb · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Basically he said that because we didn't trust him, he is too hurt and emotional to do what Charlie Lee (creator of Litecoin) did the other day. He can't do that and needs a therapist, or a good chocolate bar, or something.

      In other words, he was lying all along. This is what your spouse does when you catch them lying and in an affair: instead of stopping it and making it right and apologizing, they whine that they are too hurt and emotional because of your allegations. It's what children do when you catch them lying. It's what all liars do.

    5. Re:"No, Timmy, say it right." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I kinda get where he's coming from. I mean, the best contemporary example
      we have is Bill Gates. He's never come clean about his involvement in Windows,
      always pointing the finger at Balmer. Can't say that I'd blame either of them...

    6. Re: "No, Timmy, say it right." by dslauson · · Score: 2

      Moving those early bitcoins would be a simple task that would satisfy everybody, and whatever "attacks" and "claims for more proof" that he's afraid of would become instantly irrelevant, so his logic makes no sense here.

    7. Re: "No, Timmy, say it right." by jdavidb · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No, it's not legit. There wouldn't be any attacks if he'd just provide simple proof. Liars do this frequently - instead of proving themselves trustworthy, they whine at you for not trusting them without proof. Instead of having empathy for the victims they are hurting, they tell everybody that they are hurt for not being given baseless trust.

    8. Re: "No, Timmy, say it right." by BlueMonk · · Score: 0

      Except he's not acting hurt or expecting people to believe him, he's apologizing for hurting others and assuming the stance that the bitcoin creator remains anonymous.

    9. Re: "No, Timmy, say it right." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Liars do this frequently - instead of proving themselves trustworthy, they whine at you for not trusting them without proof.

      I wish I could mod this up twice. This may be one of the more important lessons someone can learn with regards to dealing with people.

    10. Re: "No, Timmy, say it right." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's doing both of those things, it's pretty clear from his message.

    11. Re:"No, Timmy, say it right." by idontgno · · Score: 2

      "You're clearly lying."

      "HOW DARE YOU! HOW. DARE. YOU. I am HURT and HUMILATED!"

      "So you are, indeed, a liar."

      THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT!"

      Yeah. This seems familiar.

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    12. Re:"No, Timmy, say it right." by arth1 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I'm more worried about his writing the note much like a suicide letter, even ending it with "Goobye".

      Any aussie friends of his here that can check up on him and make sure he's okay?

    13. Re: "No, Timmy, say it right." by jdavidb · · Score: 1

      He's acting hurt when he says "I broke. I do not have the courage. I cannot. When the rumors began, my qualifications and character were attacked. When those allegations were proven false, new allegations have already begun. I know now that I am not strong enough for this." He's whining about the allegations that just because the evidence provided doesn't prove anything we are still skeptical and wonder why he's engaging in this charade.

    14. Re:"No, Timmy, say it right." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wait, how do we know that Charlie Lee isn't the creator of BitCoin? Aside from him not being a douchebag, we're just assuming SatoshiLite isn't also Satoshi.

    15. Re: "No, Timmy, say it right." by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      Never trust. Never.

      Like I was taught as a teenager, "trust isn't about if somebody is going to harm you. If that is a concern, there is no chance of trust. Trust is knowing that they're not going to leave you out on a limb. Trust means you know they're always going to have a receipt to give you, the paperwork is already in order. Trust means you're confident they're not going to ask to be trusted, to leave you without the correct paperwork."

      If you're willing to go without the paperwork, you might as well be prepared to get screwed, because you will be. Why else would they want you to not have the paperwork?

      And in this guy's case... why would all his own private money be "in a trust" that he doesn't control? Isn't that a bit of an odd situation? It seems more like, he just doesn't understand the financial details relating to his lie; he knows people who have money that is in trusts, and he knows they can't access it. He also knows rich people sometimes put their money in trusts. But he doesn't understand the details, that the people he knows who can't access it inherited that money, and it is in a trust because it isn't actually theirs, it is just earmarked for them on a schedule. If the person who put the money in was alive, they could remove it or make changes. If he actually had that sort of financial planning, his words would be narrower.

      He's just a con way out of his depth. The wider world is less credulous of his claims than the locals around him, and he was caught off guard by that. He needs to flip off the world in a way that saves some face with his local supporters. That's what his statement-similar-in-some-ways-to-an-apology was for.

    16. Re:"No, Timmy, say it right." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think it's much more likely that Satoshi is the alter ego of Hal Finney. Reading the Forbes article, and then combining that with all the other things we already know, convinces me personally that it's VERY hard to think otherwise (just my humble opinion). I know he was a nice guy, and held in high esteem by bitcoiners, but I think he had his reasons for doing creating Satoshi, IMO. Wright's angle is the one that baffles me.

    17. Re:"No, Timmy, say it right." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's also what children do when you accuse them of lying, and they're not lying. It's also what spouses do when you accuse them of having an affair and they're not having an affair. Children can't prove they're not lying, and you can't prove you're not having an affair (and if you are having an affair, you can't simply "stop it" and "make it right" ... the affair is a symptom, not a cause ... and once you're accusing your partner of having an affair the relationship is basically over anyway, whether they are or not.)

      I agree with your conclusion, but not your logic. In this case it would be easy for him to prove his claim, so absence of such proof implies he's lying. And he's being a weasel about it.

    18. Re:"No, Timmy, say it right." by jdavidb · · Score: 1

      It's also what spouses do when you accuse them of having an affair and they're not having an affair.

      Nope. I've actually lived through both versions of that scenario, and the behavior of a spouse having an affair is vastly different from the behavior of a spouse not having an affair. One of them invites accountability, the other does not.

      the affair is a symptom, not a cause

      Baloney.

      Have you had an affair yourself at some point?

    19. Re: "No, Timmy, say it right." by Maritz · · Score: 1

      Yeah. If you're going to pipe up and say "I'm Satoshi", don't whinge when people don't take your qualifications as proof. When someone doesn't provide evidence for a claim - I assume (quite reasonably) that they're full of shit.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
    20. Re:"No, Timmy, say it right." by Maritz · · Score: 1

      Nope. I've actually lived through both versions of that scenario, and the behavior of a spouse having an affair is vastly different from the behavior of a spouse not having an affair.

      You seem to be generalising to all cases from your own experience. Doesn't mean you're wrong, but it ain't a good reason to hold an opinion, imHo. ;)

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
    21. Re:"No, Timmy, say it right." by jdavidb · · Score: 1

      Actually I have experience doing volunteer work for several years with an affair recovery organization, with assistance from a psychologist who specializes in recovery from infidelity. In addition to my own experience I am drawing from his expertise and from the experiences of numerous couples I have seen.

  3. That makes no sense... by Junta · · Score: 3, Insightful

    He is saying he is *capable* but unwilling to do that because he can't leave the anonymity behind?

    If he couldn't leave the anonymity behind, we would have backtracked on his whole claim. Instead he doubles down that he is truthful, but won't prove it to keep anonymity...... I'm truly baffled at who he thinks he's fooling.

    --
    XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    1. Re:That makes no sense... by neilo_1701D · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'm truly baffled at who he thinks he's fooling.

      Himself.

      As others have pointed out, he's crying "victim" because he doesn't want to back up an extraordinary claim with some seemingly simple evidence.

      Rather than own his issue, he is crying "victim" and blaming it on everyone else. Reasonably typical behavior of a narcissistic braggart.

    2. Re:That makes no sense... by NotDrWho · · Score: 1

      It actually all makes perfect sense. Celebrity impostors used to be fairly common, especially back before our DNA, photos, and records followed us everywhere.

      They're not even all con artists. They're often nobodies who see a chance to become a somebody by impersonating someone who lots of people have heard about but have never actually seen or met. So some nobody Polish factory worker becomes Anastasia Romonov and gets to be a somebody for a while. A bunch of forgotten old men become competing Billy the Kids, John Wilkes Booths, and Jesse James and get celebrated instead of dying alone and forgotten.

      Everybody wants to be a somebody, after all. Some people just seize on a chance to appropriate someone else's fame rather than earn their own.

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    3. Re:That makes no sense... by TheCarp · · Score: 1

      Wow, you almost made my heart bleed.

      My wife and I were just chatting on this and she brought up an excellent point.... she said she thought he was tired of people asking him if he was Satoshi so, maybe he decided to go with it since he keeps getting asked.

      I mean, if I was constnatly being asked if I was someone, I would probably start fucking with the occasional person who asked..... tho, public statements does seem a bit beyond the pale.

      --
      "I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
    4. Re:That makes no sense... by Maltheus · · Score: 2

      He knows he's not fooling people like you, he only needs to fool the media.

    5. Re:That makes no sense... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Although, technically, if he wanted to satoshi to fade back into anonymity, he could do something that convinces everyone that he is just a scam artist, and that the real satoshi is yet to be found.

      It would be an epic level move back into anonymity for satoshi nakamoto. Like an inverse of when Gaius Baltar was accused of cylon collaboration in season one of Battlestar. You'll never suspect him again because you've already convinced yourself that he's a liar.

      So either this person is just another scam artist, or he is Satoshi Nakamoto, epic super genius troll.
      I'm still betting on scam artist, though. (but that's the beauty of this gentleman's move, if he's Nakamoto)

  4. The Missing Post by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Informative
    He posted a blog post yesterday and it's currently cached but essentially he promises to move BTC from early blocks to do the final verification. This was up yesterday before his stupid wah wah redirect went up. I'm reposting it here in case it's ever removed from google cache (I hate scammers):

    Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Proof
    May 3, 2016
    ExtraordinaryClaims

    Yesterday, Andreas Antonopoulos posted a fantastic piece on Reddit.

    Andreas said something critically important and it bears repeating: “I think the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto does not matter”.

    He’s absolutely right.

    It doesn’t – and shouldn’t – matter to the Bitcoin community.

    I cannot deny that my interest in bringing the origins of Bitcoin into the light is ultimately and undeniably a selfish one – the only person to whom this should matter is me. In the wake of the articles last December in which I was ‘outed’, I still believed that I could remain silent. I still believed that I could retreat into anonymity, sever contact, go quiet, and that the storm would eventually pass and life would return to normal. I was right and wrong. The story did eventually retreat, but not before it ‘turned’ and the allegations of fraud and hoax (not to mention personal threats and slurs against me and my family) clung to me.

    I now know that I can never go back.

    So, I must go through to go forward.

    Mr. Antonopoulos’ post also notes that if Satoshi wants to prove identity, “they don’t need an “authority” to do so. They can do it in a public, open manner.” This is absolutely true, but not necessarily complete. I can prove access to the early keys and I can and will do so by moving bitcoin, but this should be a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for such an extraordinary claim.

    And this is why I wanted to speak with Gavin weeks ago. Gavin was in a unique position as we dealt with each other directly while we nurtured Bitcoin to life in 2010. I knew that Gavin would remember the content of those messages and discussions, and would recall our arguments and early interactions. I wanted to speak with Gavin first, not to appeal to his authority, but because I wanted him to know. I owed him that. It was important to me that we could re-establish our relationship. Simply signing messages or moving bitcoin would never be enough for Gavin.

    And it should not be enough for anyone else.

    So, over the coming days, I will be posting a series of pieces that will lay the foundations for this extraordinary claim, which will include posting independently-verifiable documents and evidence addressing some of the false allegations that have been levelled, and transferring bitcoin from an early block.

    For some there is no burden of proof high enough, no evidence that cannot be dismissed as fabrication or manipulation. This is the nature of belief and swimming against this current would be futile.

    You should be sceptical. You should question. I would.

    I will present what I believe to be “extraordinary proof” and ask only that it be independently validated.

    Ultimately, I can do no more than that.

    --
    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:The Missing Post by Thud457 · · Score: 4, Informative
      --

      the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    2. Re:The Missing Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All he has to do is sign that blubbering nonsense with the private key to the bitcoin address that is claimed to be owned by Satoshi. He doesn't have to move a mbit.

    3. Re:The Missing Post by Carewolf · · Score: 1

      What is the scam?

      Scamming yourself to pay more tax and putting your life in danger?

    4. Re:The Missing Post by taikedz · · Score: 1

      Satoshi Nakamoto's ID does not matter to Bitcoin

      It *is* however of interest to persons wanting to either hire the elusive genius, or pick his brains on other complex algorithmical topics over an extended interview.

      --
      -- "Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability." --Dijkstra
    5. Re:The Missing Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Riiight. He doesn't need that wallet, he could simply post on the P2P Foundation message board again.

      The fact that he can't do even that means he's not Satoshi.

    6. Re:The Missing Post by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      That's not how taxes work. Elvis impersonators don't pay extra tax because somebody as their country's tax office believed they were really Elvis. If people believe him, but he doesn't have the money, he wouldn't pay any tax.

      And if he has the money, and didn't pay the tax, he can still be charged with crimes. It doesn't matter if the public believes he's so-and-so or not; the jury will only be asked to decide if he payed the taxes due on the money they found in his bank accounts or under his mattress.

    7. Re:The Missing Post by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Mining bitcoins is not taxed.
      Just like mining gold is not taxed.

      Selling one of the two and making a profit, the profit is taxed.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    8. Re:The Missing Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What is the scam?

      The scam is that he's trying to impersonate a very respected person.
      A lot of important people worship Satoshi like he's a pop star. That kind of influence gives you power.
      He can then use this gained reputation and social status to have people invest millions of dollars in his ventures.

  5. Surprise!!!! by OzPeter · · Score: 2

    Big foot has left the grassy knoll, and didn't leave a forwarding address with the illuminati. Perhaps he was kidnapped by the greys?

    --
    I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    1. Re:Surprise!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Big foot has left the grassy knoll, and didn't leave a forwarding address with the illuminati. Perhaps he was kidnapped by the greys?

      He was eaten by the Loch Ness Monster.

      He didn't have BTC tree fiddy

  6. Reminds me of the free energy guys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    He sounds just like the free energy people who claims they have a magic working device. But, they keep coming up with lame excuses why they just can't provide the proof of it despite how easy it would be to do so.

    1. Re:Reminds me of the free energy guys by Sax+Russell+5449D29A · · Score: 1

      It's like cold fusion all over again...

      --
      -SR
    2. Re:Reminds me of the free energy guys by ledow · · Score: 2

      Yeah, I haven't seen anything of the "ecat" for ages.

      Thank god for the Wiki though or I'd have missed this:

      "In April 2016, Rossi filed a lawsuit in the USA against Industrial Heat, alleging that he was not paid an $89 million licensing fee due after a one year test period of an E-cat unit. Industrial Heat's comment on the lawsuit was that after three years of effort they were unable to reproduce Rossi's E-cat test results"

  7. holy SJW shit! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Holy dog shit! Where have I heard twisted bullshit like this before? Ask for proof of something, be critical of the "proof" initially offered, and *bam* we have a victim on our hands, folks!

    If you want to say you're sorry you piece of shit, say you're sorry for making a claim you can't substantiate! You are being attacked because you're a lying sack of shit! If you really are this Satoshi guy and early on you locked yourself out of those early bitcoins, well, fine. Take some fucking responsibility and accept the consequences of your actions. I don't buy this "courage" thing. You sound like some whiny fucking feminist trying to make a sob story case that she has the right to mutilate my genitals and control my body because cervical cancer! Go to hell!

    Nobody will ever know for sure who Satoshi is. If it's you, pat yourself on the back for giving the world a Nice Thing. Don't expect your sob story to fly, however. You did this anonymously. When you post AC, you don't get to claim you're this UID or that UID without logging in and clarifying things in a verifiable manner!

    1. Re:holy SJW shit! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You should try operating in a different context, it's affecting your work.

  8. Errr... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It would be easier and less stressful to provide proof then writing that post and running away...

    He's either mentally ill or a fraudster. Or both.

  9. This won't end well by Hognoxious · · Score: 2, Funny

    If he's not Satoshi Nakamoto then logically he must be Spartacus.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    1. Re:This won't end well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well of course he's Spartacus. So am I. Aren't you?

    2. Re:This won't end well by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      I'm Brian and so's my wife.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    3. Re:This won't end well by AmazingRuss · · Score: 1

      We are ALL individuals!

    4. Re:This won't end well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not.

    5. Re:This won't end well by PatientZero · · Score: 1

      If everyone is an individual, then we are all the same!

      --
      Freedom to fear. Freedom from thought. Freedom to kill.
      I guess the War on Terror really is about freedom!
    6. Re:This won't end well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If he's not Satoshi Nakamoto then logically he must be Caitlyn aka Bruce Jenner after the procedure.

      Provocateur

  10. Strategy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What if, that was just a move to draw out the real Satoshi Nakamoto?

    1. Re:Strategy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This should be modded up a little bit.. This is definitely a plausible scenario. The real Satoshi, the last time something like this made news, ended up posting a response on that P2P website. This is now making global news. We can see if he does it again or not.

  11. Craig "Wright to remain silent" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He joins Bernie "Madoff with all your money".

  12. It Must Be Interesting by lazarus · · Score: 2

    It must be interesting for the actual bitcoin creator to watch all of the drama around it unfold and wonder if you should say something or just continue to stay in the darkness. Do you laugh? Shake your head? Do you even care? Fun times.

    --
    I am not interested in articles about life extension advancements.
    1. Re:It Must Be Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm actually convinced an AI made bitcoin.

    2. Re:It Must Be Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It must be interesting for the actual bitcoin creator to watch all of the drama around it unfold and wonder if you should say something or just continue to stay in the darkness. Do you laugh? Shake your head? Do you even care? Fun times.

      Actually, all three. For I am Satoshi Nakamoto. Yes, me. I've been hiding in plain sight all along, just waiting for someone to claim my work as their own. And now I laugh! Ha ha haaa!

    3. Re:It Must Be Interesting by myowntrueself · · Score: 2

      I'm actually convinced an AI made bitcoin.

      An AI from the future.

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    4. Re:It Must Be Interesting by taikedz · · Score: 1

      Most likely he hasn't even noticed, what with his head being likely stuck in a recursive integral he's been head-refining since last week.

      --
      -- "Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability." --Dijkstra
    5. Re:It Must Be Interesting by butzwonker · · Score: 1

      I think Dorian Nakamoto is more scared than amused of all of this.

    6. Re:It Must Be Interesting by TheDarkMaster · · Score: 1

      It must be interesting for the actual bitcoin creator to watch all of the drama around it unfold and wonder if you should say something or just continue to stay in the darkness. Do you laugh? Shake your head? Do you even care? Fun times.

      Well ... I devised the bitcoin actually as a weapon to bring chaos and destruction to you mortals and it's true I expected to see some good laughs seeing wall street go into a tailspin, but things got a bit out of control.

      --
      Religion: The greatest weapon of mass destruction of all time
    7. Re:It Must Be Interesting by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      See sig.

      Warning: may destroy your soouul.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    8. Re:It Must Be Interesting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am not Satoshi, but I anonymously leaked several hundred thousand documents that received global media attention not too long ago. The documents were privately distributed to an NGO who I trusted with the responsibility of the material. At the outset I instructed the small group I was in touch with that additional materials were being collected and that we should wait for the last pieces before discussing how to move forward.

      A month or so after sharing the documents, despite my request for discretion, a website quietly popped up hosting the content. When the news outlets caught wind of a press release, authored by one of the person's entrusted to withhold the information, which I knew nothing about at the time, the media circus went wild regurgitating the press statement's nonsense. The basic facts of the story in the press statement were so twisted and convoluted I couldn't believe any editor signed off on publishing the kind of brain-dead reporting that was being sold to the public. And I am not talking about small local newspapers either. The BBC, the Washington Post, the Guardian, and a number of other major news outlets, who I think most people assume in good faith attempt to fact check their material, were more or less copying and pasting each others trash journalism word for word.

      The story became even more surreal when it came to my attention that the group I had originally shared the material with suddenly proclaimed they spent decades personally collecting the material and began publicly asking for donations "for their hard work in the service of the public." As you might imagine, I was more than just a little displeased at the deception. To make the situation worse, due to the unexpected timing of the press release, the collaborators who sought to seize ownership of the project for their own financial gain managed to do lasting damage to the project, and ultimately paved the way for the complete destruction of a multi-year software platform I privately developed to organize and collect the information, while almost getting me outed in the process.

      Disgust and contempt not withstanding, I was at least somewhat pleased to privately know they were about to be sued in to oblivion by a gigantic multi-billion dollar company that was enraged by the document disclosure. Amazingly the group managed to weasel their way out of a lawsuit by quietly confiding during the discovery process that "someone" had leaked the documents to them (carefully avoiding mentioning my nom de plume when talking with the press for fear it would lessen their stolen glory) and that they were unaware of the full nature of the information.

      So, if I had to guess how Satoshi feels right now? He probably feels ambivalent. The public doesn't know what to believe. How can they? If Satoshi were to come forward, he knows he'd be treated no differently than Arthur Budovsky or cons like Mark Karpeles during the Mutum Sigillum/DHS seizure. The only thing Satoshi can do is anonymously expose the frauds and hope the experts and public commentators are smart enough to pick up on the bread crumbs. Do that long enough though, and if the public continues to wrongly support the frauds and liars, eventually feelings of genuine magnanimity and generosity towards the public dry up and become replaced with a sense of outrage and indignation.

  13. I'm not sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He might be "sorry", but I'm not. This played out beautifully. Mainstream media (and even some who should know better) fell for it, and I hope they've all learned a lesson. Skeptics and cooler heads raised a collective eyebrow, and awaited confirmation by experts. The experts did not disappoint. Even provoked a very interesting set of articles about whether or not Satoshi's identity matters.

    1. Re:I'm not sorry by Kierthos · · Score: 1

      Don't hold your breath waiting for the media to learn.

      "Hey, it's a tech thing we barely understand! Let's play spot the buzzword and write an article!"

      "Hey, it's a medical thing we barely understand, but the word 'cancer' is in the article. Let's write an article how this causes and/or stops cancer in it's tracks!"

      --
      Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
    2. Re:I'm not sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mainstream media (and even some who should know better) fell for it, and I hope they've all learned a lesson

      They got a shitload of page views and ad impressions, and face nothing negative from running the stories. What, specifically, is it that you hope "they" have learned from all this?

    3. Re:I'm not sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...and I hope they've all learned a lesson.

      You know they didn't, sadly.

  14. Translation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "My apologies, but I don't have enough time to fake the evidence."

  15. Bullshit ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    " I do not have the courage"

    Absolute horse shit. You have the "courage" to make a post reneging on your promise of extraordinary proof !

    "my qualifications and character were attacked"
    Would that be the qualifications from a university that has never heard of you?
    Your history is well known Mr.Wright. Reminding people about it is not a character attack, especially when the "proof" you provided that your were Nakamoto was shown to be yet another falsehood.

    You're a fake, a fraud. The world knows it, you know we know it but still continue with this charade by trying to play the poor little victim routine.

  16. Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    1. Re:Who cares? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      OK, so I'm not the only one wondering wtf this is news.

      Ok, Bitcoins. Great. Use them. But do you really care who invented it? Why is that of ANY relevance whatsoever? As far as I'm concerned the Illuminati could have coined them together with the reptiloids under the supervision of the reverse vampires. If it's cryptographically safe and they can't trace it, it doesn't fucking matter whose idea it was.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:Who cares? by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

      But do you really care who invented it?

      That nobody can seem to figure out who invented it is unusual and newsworthy.

      --
      “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
    3. Re:Who cares? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Oh, so all the unusual and curious stuff is now newsworthy, even if it can't possibly have any effect on us?

      Next story is then "10 biggest freak accidents of all times", I guess? That's unusual and odd, so it's newsworthy.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:Who cares? by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      If it's cryptographically safe and they can't trace it, it doesn't fucking matter whose idea it was.

      What if it has tracing built in, like... bitcoin?

    5. Re:Who cares? by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

      Oh, so all the unusual and curious stuff is now newsworthy, even if it can't possibly have any effect on us?

      Yes, this is how it's been for the last 5000 years or so.

      --
      “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  17. Reminds me of the movie "Big Eyes" by JoeyRox · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In the scene where the judge ordered Walter and Margaret Keane to both paint something to prove they are the artist behind the big-eye paintings. Halfway through the hour allotted to him and with nothing on his canvas Walter turns to the judge and pretends he threw out his shoulder trying to lift the tiny paintbrush.

    1. Re:Reminds me of the movie "Big Eyes" by Deadstick · · Score: 5, Informative

      The real Margaret Keane said in an interview that the painting scene in the film was somewhat understated in comparison to reality...

    2. Re:Reminds me of the movie "Big Eyes" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  18. WWSD by Sneftel · · Score: 1

    If one were Satoshi and found at this stage that he was "not strong enough to out himself", the logical course of action would be to backpedal and call the whole thing a hoax. After all, if the thing you were not strong enough to do was reveal your identity, continuing to assert that identity -- regardless of willingness to provide proof -- would be pretty silly.

    This isn't the "not strong enough to do the right thing" move. It's the "got called on his BS and looking for a way to save face" move.

    --
    The opinions stated herein do not necessarily represent those of anybody at all. Deal with it.
    1. Re:WWSD by TheCarp · · Score: 1

      This. But it doesn't even pass the stink test far enough to question.

      I honestly think the whole thing is summarized by two things.

      1. He is claiming to be a person who MUST have intimate knowledge of how to use a hash properly
      2. He attempted to prove his identity without providing the full document he claimed to sign.

      I don't care if the signature was the same....its highly unlikely to be a real collision but, real collisions are possible. No, what I care about is that he even tried to not release the whole document he claimed to sign with it.

      Anybody who understands digital signatures even in a cursory manner knows this doesn't prove anything. There is no way I believe the real Satoshi Nakamoto makes that particular mistake.

      In fact, the ONLY proper response to that allegation is "Sorry the file got truncated in the upload, here is the full one". And in reality, it should be "this public archive is where I got the original, so you can see I didn't craft a collision intentionally".

      --
      "I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
    2. Re:WWSD by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      There is no way I believe the real Satoshi Nakamoto makes that particular mistake.

      The mistake itself could be harmless, but it would be expected that the real person would be very embarrassed by it and would correct the technical part of the mistake right away and with excessive apologies and embarrassment. It would be totally normal for a smart recluse to screw up what he's best at when making a rare foray into the public light. It would be abnormal to be casual about the same mistake, or leave it uncorrected.

    3. Re:WWSD by TheCarp · · Score: 1

      Mechanically yes. I agree anyone can corrupt a file, or send the wrong file. Technically though, no. Not when its pointed out that the file was truncated. I do not believe anyone with his level of knowledge would ever knowingly release a truncated file along with a signature for a full file.

      Now, if that was the end of the story..... he made a mistake and then thought better of it....ok fine. However, the signatures match. Thats a very unlikely coincidence, and when you combine the two..... it looks terribly bad and its the retraction that doesn't hold water.

      --
      "I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
  19. CW, the Dark Triad by golgotha007 · · Score: 2

    We can all brain storm and dream up cool tech, but it's the folks that actually create it that should be credited. It's clear that CW had nothing to do with the development of the initial release, but it's likely that he knew the folks that did.
    If he had come out publicly with an honest statement to that effect, he would have been received much differently. Instead, he chose to be dishonest and misleading, and there is no forgiveness for that.

    If CW could cryptographically prove himself, then he wouldn't be attacked and/or chased away. I mean, without proof, what did he expect was going to happen?

  20. Pardon me by Deadstick · · Score: 1

    ...while I get my hip boots on.

  21. I don't use bitcoins by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    ....but seriously, who gives a shit who conceptualized it?

    I have absolutely no idea if he is who he claimed to be or not. Nor do I even faintly care. I'm curious why other people care so much?

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re:I don't use bitcoins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the creator of bitcoin has access to several hundred thousand bitcoins mined in the currency's infancy - before any of the subsequent difficulty increases or reward halving. Such a treasure trove, if proven to be potentially active, would be devastating to bitcoin's current valuation.

    2. Re:I don't use bitcoins by toonces33 · · Score: 1

      I can't answer that, but to ask why do people care about the Karcrashians? People care about lots of things that seem irrelevant to me.

  22. Perfect opportunity to save on tax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... the real Satoshi should now cash in a bunch of his bitcoins and send the Australian tax authorities to collect from Mr. Wright.

  23. Maybe he didn't move any early bitcoins... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    But maybe someone made a recent sell off of bitcoins since the nose-dive turn around in April after all this started to get cycled around the rumor mill?

    One of the strong drivers of bitcoin's price is the news media...

  24. Provided explanation makes no sense by sinij · · Score: 1

    There is no fading back to obscurity and re-anonymizing after making such extraordinary claims. You cannot unmake the claims.

  25. My take by slashrio · · Score: 1

    is that he isn't the real Satoshi but a smoke screen to hide the fact that bitcoin was in fact a CIA/Central Banks project.
    There has been a Mr. Nakamoto who first 'admitted' that he was part of the project, but then later retracted that.
    I think he was true, and that the project was to get a 'bottom up' financial semi-revolution going in order to enable a worldwide acceptance of virtual but perfectly traceable money, so that eventually, when we have been led into the 'cashless society', all our transactions can be traced and there is no escape whatsoever from the bank fees, bank tax, government tax etc. etc.
    That must have been what Gavin Andresen has been doing the one or two times that he visited Langley. He must be in on the game, judging from the fact that he 'approved' the flawed signature that Wright presented. He can't have been that naive so he must have been in on the game.
    Proof of this? None. Just my two cents. So now kill me, moderate me down and take away all my karma. ;)

    --
    "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
    1. Re:My take by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hello "slashrio"! Did you know that reptilian aliens live amongst us and can take human shapes? I have incontrovertible proof of this, but they may be able to trace me back to my email address even though I'm behind 7 proxies, so I cannot post the evidence here. They would kill me. Anyway, thanks for this insightful post and cheerio to you!

    2. Re:My take by slashrio · · Score: 1

      I have incontrovertible proof of this

      At least I stated that I don't have any proof and that it was only my opinion.

      --
      "Trump!!", the new Godwin.
  26. taxes anyone? by SadButResolved · · Score: 1

    I'm suspecting he realized he would be outed with the info he was about to provide for several major bit coin sales. Which probably went untaxed in Panama or some other remote haven for money laundering.
    Lets see, Fame or prison... hmm.

  27. Not strong enough by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then he gets suicided.

  28. Summed up: by Zanadou · · Score: 1

    What a cumb dunt this guy is.

  29. this shit is crazy by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    This is like something out of a William Gibson movie!

    Someone invents a cybercurrency that gains widespread use, sticks it to the corrupt System and is going to change everything.

    And the guy that invented it is a mystery.
    Then St Germain comes out and says he invented it. But can't manage to do even the simplest of tasks that would prove his authorship.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    1. Re:this shit is crazy by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      So ... /. is now part of the yellow press? When are we going to hear speculations on whether the next baby of some royalty is going to be a boy or a girl? Or who some celebrity is going to screw or even marry now?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  30. "Sorry"? by Lisandro · · Score: 1

    What exactly are you sorry for son?

  31. Sorry by ledow · · Score: 1

    People who are genuinely sorry attempt to fix the situation, where possible.

    Given that fixing the situation would consist of exactly what he promised (loading up an old Bitcoin wallet and moving a fraction of a coin out of it to anywhere else), that would seem to indicate that he's NOT sorry and/or he's lying (i.e. he's lost the wallet or he has no such power and never did).

  32. I am Spartacus !! by ripvlan · · Score: 0

    Yes he's being attacked and torn down - I'm sure I wouldn't enjoy such scrutiny. Esp since I know the internet makes things up and offers personal attacks from hidden people.

    He could be the real deal. We may never know.

    1. Re:I am Spartacus !! by Darinbob · · Score: 0

      The experts think he's real though. Which means that others don't believe it and think it's a conspiracy. But of course it's Bitcoin, which means first that all sorts of non-conformists are involved, and second that it doesn't really matter anyway.

    2. Re:I am Spartacus !! by KGIII · · Score: 1, Funny

      Normally, I think you're retarded. However, in this case, I'm not sure I understand why you were moderated down. You may have said something that someone doesn't like but that doesn't mean you're incorrect or trolling. There are many non-conformists involved and, at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter.

      You also said the experts think he's real and, from what I've read, they do seem to think he's being honest about that - if not much else. Yes, others have expressed their disbelief and I have seen the very fucking word "conspiracy" used not once but *multiple* times.

      How the fuck the mods decided your post should be at down-modded is beyond me. You might be facile, ignorant, and obtuse but you're absolutely not wrong in your above statements and moderation should be done (ideally and in my opinion) based on the content and not the person. Hmm... I'm not actually sure if that was a compliment or not. It's the best you're getting.

      Seriously mods... It's true that the BTC thing has faults. It's true that it is not perfect. It's true that there are problems and that people will call them out. Rather than ignore them, work to fix them. Down-voting someone just because you don't like what they said is juvenile.

      Because some folks read at -1, I'm going to go ahead and "fix" that so that it IS seen.

      Darinbob had this to say:

      The experts think he's real though. Which means that others don't believe it and think it's a conspiracy. But of course it's Bitcoin, which means first that all sorts of non-conformists are involved, and second that it doesn't really matter anyway.

      How the fuck that's worth a -1 is beyond me. And, frankly, if you feel like moderating my post down then knock yourself out - I've got karma to burn and what's the point of karma if you can't spend it. And yes, yes i will spend it on behalf of someone who decided I'm a freak and put me on their foe list. (Or did I put them on the list? I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter - the feeling is mutual.)

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  33. For your entertainment by Marginal+Coward · · Score: 1

    A puzzle unsolved is far more interesting than a puzzle solved.

    I always think of the JFK assassination in these cases. The fact that Lee Harvey Oswald appears to have done it, yet we have numerous things that don't quite seem to add up, e.g. "the magic bullet," "the grassy knoll," etc., makes it far more interesting than the Lincoln assassination, where all the basic facts are pretty cut-and-dried.

    Regardless of whether Wright is a con man or the real deal, he's clearly toying with us: his most recent statement seems more likely to spark our interest than to quell it.

  34. Well, color me surprised by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The guy has the reputation of a charlatan. Another poseur that bites the dust.

  35. I do not have the *courage* by tehlinux · · Score: 1

    He misspelled *private keys.* But he probably just typed that from a mobile device.

    --
    Most linux users don't know this, but the man pages were named after Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris fsck'ing hates noobs!
  36. No point either way... by Kazoo+the+Clown · · Score: 1

    The ONLY reason the real creator of bitcoin would want to reveal himself at this point is to capitalize on the notoriety. I mean, the technology is out there, it's not like he's going to ask for it all back. What possible reason would anyone have for proving he was the creator other than to put it on his resume and/or establish some credibility for a new enterprise. If that's what he wanted it for, he should have thought of that a long time ago and never gone stealth about it in the first place. So if this guy IS the creator of bitcoin, other than the creation of bitcoin itself, he's a moron. And I'd start to wonder if his idea regarding bitcoin was just a lucky fluke.

  37. I tend to think he's lying but... by SkyLeach · · Score: 2

    I'm more interested in WHY he's lying than IF he's lying, mainly because I think the IS lying.

    Everyone seems to think that lying shows him as a fraud, but this is may be assumptive.

    What if he is backing out, but for a completely different reason than he's willing to say. What if that's the lie, not the claim of authorship.

    Any monetary system, even a secure one like bitcoin, can be exploited through the distribution of wealth in the corrupt economy. What I find more interesting is the fact that bitcoin is outside of the normal channels of bank tracing and manipulation. The banks can't trace where the money is going without extensive outside help from governments or the involvement of their own accounts in transactions. People often forget that the banks share a great deal of information with both the government and between each other. The flow of wealth is far more important to them than the actual dollar amounts.

    I tend to think that bitcoin is a huge threat to them because it represents a critical information hole.

    I also tend to think that they are not above extortion to 'prove' fraud and corruption to destroy bitcoin. Personally I'd be far more afraid of providing proof of my identity (and presumedly my integrity) to the public than of being e-bullied by trolls if the result could be the ire of the true power in the world.

    --
    My $0.02 will always be worth more than your â0.02, so :-p
    1. Re:I tend to think he's lying but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's just following the con artist handbook, never admit the con, lie 'till you die.

  38. he's not sorry, just crazy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He will not provide proof.

    He cannot provide proof.

    Because he's not the creator of Bitcoin.

    --end

  39. I can levitate! by TsuruchiBrian · · Score: 1

    But ever since I said I could levitate, everyone doubted me. They attacked me by saying "Well if you can levitate, prove it by levitating". I was going to levitate, but I just can't bear any more of these attacks on my character. If I proved I could levitate, people would just attack me even more by saying things like "Wow! You've proven you can actually levitate, you asshole. I hate you!" So I've decided I won't be levitating (even though I can). I'm so sorry that you'll never believe me now (because you are all stupid).

  40. Who is nakatomi sashimoto by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And more to the point, who actually cares?
    Nothibg will be good enough for the army of hipsters tgat support this phantom ponzi pusher. Hint: its an old grey haired cia guy

    1. Re:Who is nakatomi sashimoto by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You cared enough to post. Thanks for the 'hint' but you're obviously pretty thick.

  41. Lost the key? by saccade.com · · Score: 1

    "Honey, have you seen the blue thumb drive?? The one with the genesis block keys? I can't find it ANYWHERE!"

  42. accurate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OP is a faggot

  43. strange, yet true by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    Alien intelligences are communicating with us steganographically with messages encoded in typos in online messagebored postings.

    Think about it. It explains a lot of what you see on /.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  44. You want the key? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So, Hal Finney has been referred to as a possible candidate for Satoshi. He received the first bitcoin. Think about it. If you were fiddling with a new bitcoin program, who would you send the first "test" coin to? Yourself, of course! You'all are programmers. That's the way it works.

    So, unfortunately, Hal Finney passed away. But, he was preserved in a Cryro (freeze) tank. Guess where the key is? Most likely in the tank with him, so that he doesn't need to be poor when they find a cure and unthaw him. Probably in some kind of religious artifact.