NYT Investigation Points to British Cryptographer Adam Back as Bitcoin's Secret Founder
Seventeen years have passed since a nine-page technical document, or white paper, was published in a remote corner of the internet, heralding the arrival of the world's first cryptocurrency. During this time, Bitcoin has evolved from a simple curiosity into a mainstream element of the financial world. However, the identity of its inventor, now known worldwide under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, continues to remain shrouded in mystery. The New York Times shared evidence suggesting that the founder of the cryptocurrency might be a British individual named Adam Black. Yet, the person in question has denied these allegations.
The New York Times has put forth the claim that they have discovered the inventor of cryptocurrency.
The New York Times published a news piece titled 'Four Key Takeaways from Our Search for Bitcoin's Creator'. According to the report, all signs for cryptocurrency investors point towards 55-year-old British cryptographer, Adam Back. So, what are these clues?
It is widely known that the inventor of cryptocurrency is Satoshi Nakamoto. However, this is not true; it's a pseudonym. Both Back and Satoshi Nakamoto were members of the anarchist group 'Cypherpunks', established in the early 1990s, which viewed cryptography as a tool to protect individuals from government surveillance and censorship.
In the late 1990s, Back proposed an electronic cash system that would prevent government intervention in financial transactions in emails he sent to other Cypherpunk members. He was the first to voice the idea of decentralized computer networks (nodes), which form the basis of Bitcoin today and continue to operate even if some members of the network try to manipulate them.
The similarities between Adam Back and Satoshi Nakamoto have been enumerated.
Back invented Hashcash, a system for solving statistical puzzles. He proposed combining this system with another cyberpunk's concept of 'bmoney'. This combination was the blueprint that Satoshi later used to create Bitcoin.
The similarities between Adam Back (pictured) and Satoshi Nakamoto were listed in the news as follows:
Back's doctoral topic, 'distributed computer systems', forms the basis of Bitcoin's operating principle.
Both individuals use the same programming language, possess expert-level knowledge in network security, and are proficient in 'public key cryptography', the backbone of Bitcoin.
Satoshi and Back share an unusual interest in combating email spam; both propose identical methods to tackle this issue.
Maintaining online anonymity and using pseudonyms are common traits for both profiles. Additionally, both express that their coding skills far surpass their text writing abilities.
After announcing Bitcoin, Satoshi worked on developing the system for two and a half years and then suddenly disappeared in 2011. Back's process was the exact opposite: Having been at the center of electronic money discussions for over a decade, Back fell silent when Bitcoin, the most tangible manifestation of his vision, was announced at the end of 2008. Back made his first post about Bitcoin only six weeks after Satoshi's departure.
We compiled all the archives from three separate mailing lists used by cyberpunks into a giant database and compared them with Satoshi's writings. All three different style analyses pointed to Adam Back as the profile closest to Satoshi.
Common writing errors and habits that stood out in the analyses include:
Leaving two spaces between sentences and using British English spelling rules.
Confusing 'it’s' and 'its', and ending sentences with 'also'.
Unusual choices in the spelling of certain technical terms (bugfix, half way, down side).
Switching between British and American spelling styles in words like 'Email/email' and 'cheque/check'.
Adam Back issued a statement from his X account, vehemently denying the allegations:
'While I'm not Satoshi, I approached the positive societal impacts of cryptography, online privacy, and electronic cash with laser-focused interest at an early date. Consequently, starting from 1992, I engaged in applied research on ecash, which, fueled by my active interest in privacy technologies on the cypherpunks list, led to hashcash and other ideas.'
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