Difference between revisions of "Satoshi Nakamoto"

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'''Satoshi Nakamoto''' is the [[pseudonymous]] entity that designed and created the original [[Bitcoin]] software, currently known as [[Bitcoin-Qt]]. Nakamoto is often claimed to be a veil for a group of people.
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:''For the unit, see [[satoshi (unit)]].''
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'''Satoshi Nakamoto''' is the founder of [[Bitcoin]] and initial creator of the [[Original Bitcoin client]]. He has said in a P2P foundation profile<ref name="p2p_f_profile">[http://p2pfoundation.ning.com/profile/SatoshiNakamoto Satoshi Nakamoto profile on P2P Foundation]</ref> that he is from Japan. Beyond that, not much else is known about him and his identity. He has been working on the Bitcoin project since 2007.<ref>[https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=13.msg46#msg46 Re: Questions about Bitcoin]</ref>
  
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His involvement in the original [[Bitcoin]] software does not appear to extend past mid-2010.
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His involvement in the Bitcoin project had tapered and by late 2010 it has ended.  The most recent messages reportedly indicate that Satoshi is "gone for good"<ref>[http://bitcoinstats.com/irc/bitcoin-dev/logs/2011/04/26#l1303826036.0 Transcript of #bitcoin-dev for 2011/04/26]</ref>.
  
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==Identity==
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==Possible Motives==
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He left some clues about why he is doing this project with the inclusion of the following text in the [[Genesis block]], "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks".
  
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There are no records of Nakamoto's [[Personal identity|identity]] or identities prior to the creation of [[Bitcoin]]. On his [[P2P foundation]] profile, Nakamoto claimed to be an individual male at the age of 37 and of [[Japanese]] origin, which was met with great skepticism due to his use of [[English]] and his Bitcoin [[software]] not being documented nor labeled in Japanese.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wallace|first=Benjamin|title=The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin|url=http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/mf_bitcoin/|publisher=Wired|quote=It seemed doubtful that Nakamoto was even Japanese. His English had the flawless, idiomatic ring of a native speaker.}}</ref>
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Some interesting quotes:
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<blockquote><p>Yes, [we will not find a solution to political problems in cryptography,] but we can win a major battle in the arms race and gain a new territory of  
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freedom for several years.</p>
  
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[[British]] formatting in his written work implies Nakamoto is of British origin.<ref name="whitepaper"></ref>
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<p>Governments are good at cutting off the heads of a centrally controlled
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networks like Napster, but pure P2P networks like Gnutella and Tor seem to be
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holding their own.<ref>[http://www.mail-archive.com/cryptography@metzdowd.com/msg09971.html Re: Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:30:36 -0800]</ref></p></blockquote>
  
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The first release of his original [[Bitcoin]] software is speculated to be of a collabrative effort, leading some to claim that Satoshi Nakamoto was a collective pseudonym for a group of people.<ref name="The New Yorker">{{cite web|last=Jefferies|first=Adrianne|title=The New Yorker’s Joshua Davis Attempts to Identify Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto|url=http://betabeat.com/2011/10/did-the-new-yorkers-joshua-davis-nail-the-identity-of-bitcoin-creator-satoshi-nakamoto/|publisher=Betabeat|accessdate=31 October 2012|quote='Either there’s a team of people who worked on this, or this guy is a genius.'}}</ref>
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<blockquote>It's very attractive to the libertarian viewpoint if we can explain it
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properly.  I'm better with code than with words though.<ref>[http://www.mail-archive.com/cryptography@metzdowd.com/msg10001.html Re: Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:29:22]</ref></blockquote>
  
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==Work==
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==Possible identity==
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In 2008, Nakamoto published a paper<ref name="whitepaper">{{cite web
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His identity and nationality are unknown.
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|last= Nakamoto
 
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|first= Satoshi
 
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|title= Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System
 
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|url= http://www.cs.kent.edu/~JAVED/class-P2P12F/papers-2012/PAPER2012-p2p-bitcoin-satoshinakamoto.pdf
 
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|accessdate = 14 December 2010
 
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|date= 24 May 2009
 
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|postscript= <!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}}
 
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}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 
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|url= http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.encryption.general/12588/
 
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|title= Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper
 
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}}</ref> on The Cryptography Mailing list at metzdowd.com<ref>[http://www.mail-archive.com/search?l=cryptography@metzdowd.com&q=from:%22Satoshi+Nakamoto%22 Satoshi's posts to Cryptography mailing list]</ref> describing the Bitcoin digital currency. In 2009, he released the first [[Bitcoin]] software that launched the network and the first units of the Bitcoin [[currency]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Davis|first=Joshua|title=The Crypto-Currency: Bitcoin and its mysterious inventor.|url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/10/111010fa_fact_davis|publisher=The New Yorker}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Penenberg|first=Adam|title=The Bitcoin Crypto-Currency Mystery Reopened|url=http://www.fastcompany.com/1785445/bitcoin-crypto-currency-mystery-reopened|publisher=Fast Company|quote=A New Yorker writer implies he found Bitcoin's mysterious creator. We think he got the wrong man, and offer far more compelling evidence that points to someone else entirely.}}</ref> 
 
  
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Nakamoto continued to contribute to his Bitcoin software release with other developers until contact with his team and the community gradually began to fade in mid-2010. He gave all original Bitcoin properties and alert key functions of his software to [[Gavin Andresen]] near this time.{{fact|date=November 2012}}
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He is entirely unknown outside of Bitcoin as far as anyone can tell, and his (never used) PGP key was created just months prior to the date of the genesis block. He seems to be very familiar with the cryptography mailing list, but there are no non-Bitcoin posts from him on it. He has used an email address from an anonymous mail hosting service (vistomail) as well as one from a free webmail account (gmx.com) and sends mail when connected via Tor. Some have speculated that his entire identity was created in advance in order to protect himself or the network. Perhaps he chose the name Satoshi because it can mean "wisdom" or "reason" and Nakamoto can mean "Central source".
  
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==Motives==
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Ultimately the design of Bitcoin and its use of cryptographic proof and fully open implementation is one that makes its creator, in a sense, irrelevant and only of interest for historical reasons.
  
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Nakamoto's work appears to be politically motivated, as quoted:
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==External links==
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* [http://bitcointalk.org/Satoshi_Nakamoto.asc Satoshi's PGP public key]
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{{Quote|text="Yes, [we will not find a solution to political problems in cryptography,] but we can win a major battle in the arms race and gain a new territory of freedom for several years.Governments are good at cutting off the heads of a centrally controlled networks like Napster, but pure P2P networks like Gnutella and Tor seem to be holding their own."|sign=Satoshi Nakamoto|source= [http://www.mail-archive.com/cryptography@metzdowd.com/msg09971.html Re: Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper]
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* [http://www.bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System] Paper
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}}
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* <s>[http://sourceforge.net/users/s_nakamoto SourceForge page]</s> <i>this link is invalid as of [https://timestamps.glencooper.com/ 20190522T0153Z] :-(</i>
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* [http://nakamotoinstitute.org Satoshi Nakamoto Institute]
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{{Quote|text="[Bitcoin is] very attractive to the libertarian viewpoint if we can explain it properly. I'm better with code than with words though."|sign=Satoshi Nakamoto|source= [http://www.mail-archive.com/cryptography@metzdowd.com/msg10001.html Re: Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper]
 
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}}
 
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In the Bitcoin network's transaction database, the original entry has a note by Nakamoto that reads as:
 
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{{Quote|text="The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks".}}
 
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Some claim this quote implies Nakamoto had great concern or contempt for the current [[central banking]] system.
 
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==Influence==
 
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The smallest unit of the [[Bitcoin]] currency (1/100,000,000) has been named "satoshi" in collective homage to his founding of [[Bitcoin]].<ref name="satoshi unit">{{Cite web|title=Cracking the Bitcoin: Digging Into a $131M USD Virtual Currency|url=http://www.dailytech.com/Cracking+the+Bitcoin+Digging+Into+a+131M+USD+Virtual+Currency/article21878.htm|publisher=Daily Tech|accessdate=30 September 2012}}</ref>
 
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==External Links==
 
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*[http://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System by Satoshi Nakamoto]
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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{{Reflist}}
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<references/>
  
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[[Category:Pseudonyms]]
 
 
[[de:Satoshi Nakamoto]]
 
[[de:Satoshi Nakamoto]]
 
[[es:Satoshi Nakamoto]]
 
[[es:Satoshi Nakamoto]]
  
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[[Category:Individuals]]
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[[Category:People]]

Latest revision as of 16:10, 8 April 2022

For the unit, see satoshi (unit).

Satoshi Nakamoto is the founder of Bitcoin and initial creator of the Original Bitcoin client. He has said in a P2P foundation profile[1] that he is from Japan. Beyond that, not much else is known about him and his identity. He has been working on the Bitcoin project since 2007.[2]

His involvement in the Bitcoin project had tapered and by late 2010 it has ended. The most recent messages reportedly indicate that Satoshi is "gone for good"[3].

Possible Motives

He left some clues about why he is doing this project with the inclusion of the following text in the Genesis block, "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks".

Some interesting quotes:

Yes, [we will not find a solution to political problems in cryptography,] but we can win a major battle in the arms race and gain a new territory of freedom for several years.

Governments are good at cutting off the heads of a centrally controlled networks like Napster, but pure P2P networks like Gnutella and Tor seem to be holding their own.[4]

It's very attractive to the libertarian viewpoint if we can explain it properly. I'm better with code than with words though.[5]

Possible identity

His identity and nationality are unknown.

He is entirely unknown outside of Bitcoin as far as anyone can tell, and his (never used) PGP key was created just months prior to the date of the genesis block. He seems to be very familiar with the cryptography mailing list, but there are no non-Bitcoin posts from him on it. He has used an email address from an anonymous mail hosting service (vistomail) as well as one from a free webmail account (gmx.com) and sends mail when connected via Tor. Some have speculated that his entire identity was created in advance in order to protect himself or the network. Perhaps he chose the name Satoshi because it can mean "wisdom" or "reason" and Nakamoto can mean "Central source".

Ultimately the design of Bitcoin and its use of cryptographic proof and fully open implementation is one that makes its creator, in a sense, irrelevant and only of interest for historical reasons.

External links

References

  1. ↑ Satoshi Nakamoto profile on P2P Foundation
  2. ↑ Re: Questions about Bitcoin
  3. ↑ Transcript of #bitcoin-dev for 2011/04/26
  4. ↑ Re: Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:30:36 -0800
  5. ↑ Re: Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:29:22
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