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| − | {{infobox person|name=Satoshi Nakamoto
| + | [[File:Satoshi-nakamoto.gif|thumb|200px|right|Picture of Satoshi Nakamoto.]] |
| − | |names=satoshi, satoshin
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| − | |born=allegedly {{birth date and age|1975|4|5}}
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| − | |disappeared=June 2011
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| − | |active=2008-2011
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| − | |knownfor=Creating [[Bitcoin]]
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| − | |bitcointalk=[https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=3 satoshi]
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| − | |bottom={{subbox miner | |
| − | |firstblock=January 9, 2009 | |
| − | |firstblockn=1 | |
| − | |btc=est. 985,000 BTC | |
| − | |usd=250 million
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| − | |year=2015
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| − | }}}}
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| − | :''"Satoshi" redirects here. For other uses, see [[Satoshi (disambiguation)]].''
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| − | '''Satoshi Nakamoto''' is the pseudonymous person or group of people who designed and created the original [[Bitcoin]] software, [[Bitcoin Core]] (formerly Bitcoin-Qt). Nakamoto published a [[Bitcoin whitepaper|whitepaper]] describing Bitcoin on [[The Cryptography Mailing List]] in 2008,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mail-archive.com/search?l=cryptography@metzdowd.com&q=from:%22Satoshi+Nakamoto%22 |title=Satoshi's posts to Cryptography mailing list |publisher=Mail-archive.com |date= |accessdate=2013-12-14}}</ref> and released a working implementation in 2009.<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|work=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's involvement in [[Bitcoin Core]] development does not appear to extend past mid-2010. Prior to his disappearance in 2011, he named [[Gavin Andresen]] the [[Core maintainer]] and gave him the [[alert key]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Bosker|first=Bianca|title=Gavin Andresen, Bitcoin Architect: Meet The Man Bringing You Bitcoin (And Getting Paid In It) |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/16/gavin-andresen-bitcoin_n_3093316.html|publisher=HuffPostTech}}</ref> | + | '''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>[http://www.bitcoin.org/smf/index.php?topic=13.msg46#msg46 Re: Questions about Bitcoin]</ref> |
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| − | The [[block chain]] shows that Nakamoto's known wallets contain roughly one million bitcoins. As of June 2015, this was the equivalent of $250 million; in November 2013, this could be valued at over $1 billion.<ref>{{cite web|last=Liu |first=Alec |url=http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/bitcoin-mints-its-first-billionaire-satoshi-nakamoto |title=Bitcoin Mints Its First Billionaire: Its Inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto | Motherboard |publisher=Motherboard.vice.com |date= |accessdate=2013-12-14}}</ref><ref>https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/bitcoin-price-surges-250-magnificent-price-action/</ref> Nakamoto's true identity remains unknown, and has been the subject of speculation. It is not known whether the name "Satoshi Nakamoto" is real or a [[pseudonym]], or whether the name represents one person or a group of people.
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| − | ==Identity==
| + | 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/logs/2011/04/26/5#l445170 Transcript of #bitcoin-dev for 2011/04/26]</ref>. |
| − | There are no records of Nakamoto's identity or identities prior to the creation of [[Bitcoin]]. On his [[P2P Foundation]] profile, Nakamoto claimed to be a 37-year-old male who lived in Japan, but some speculated he was unlikely to be Japanese due to his use of perfect English and his Bitcoin software not being documented or labelled in Japanese.<ref name="wallace">{{cite web|last=Wallace|first=Benjamin|title=The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin|url=http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/mf_bitcoin/all/|publisher=Wired|quote=It seemed doubtful that Nakamoto was even Japanese. His English had the flawless, idiomatic ring of a native speaker.}}</ref> British formatting in his written work and the citation of a British journal in the [[genesis block]] imply that Nakamoto is actually of British origin.{{citation needed}} However, he also sometimes used American spelling, which may indicate that he was intentionally trying (but failed) to mask his writing style, or that he is more than one person.{{citation needed}} [[Stefan Thomas]] graphed the time stamps for each of Nakamoto's [[BitcoinTalk]] posts (more than 500); the resulting chart showed a steep decline to almost no posts between the hours of 5 am and 11 am GMT. Because this pattern held true even on Saturdays and Sundays, it suggested that Nakamoto was asleep at that time.<ref name="wallace" />
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| − | Because the first release of Satoshi's [[Bitcoin Core|original Bitcoin software]] was amazingly complete and featureful, the software is often speculated to be the result of a collaborative effort, leading some to claim that Satoshi Nakamoto himself was a collective pseudonym for a group of people.{{citation needed}} [[Wikipedia:Dan Kaminsky|Dan Kaminsky]], a security researcher who read the Bitcoin code,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/apr/07/bitcoin-scares-banks-governments|title=Why Bitcoin scares banks and governments|last=Naughton|first=John|date=7 April 2013|work=The Observer|accessdate=11 March 2014}}</ref> said that Nakamoto could either be a "team of people" or a "genius".<ref name="betabeat">{{cite web | url=http://betabeat.com/2011/10/did-the-new-yorkers-joshua-davis-nail-the-identity-of-bitcoin-creator-satoshi-nakamoto/ | title=The New Yorker's Joshua Davis Attempts to Identify Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto | publisher=Betabeat | date=4 October 2011 | accessdate=27 December 2013 | author=Jeffries, Adrianne}}</ref> [[Core developer]] [[Gregory Maxwell]] argues that "the [version 0.1] source code is strongly idiomatic of code written primarily by a single mind."<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/3di6zc/nick_szabos_hidden_work/ct5suj2 Reddit comment by Greg Maxwell aka nullc]</ref> [[Laszlo Hanyecz]], the buyer of the renowned 10,000 BTC pizzas, had felt that the code was too well designed for one person.<ref name="wiredbw">Benjamin Wallace: [http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/mf_bitcoin/all/ The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin], ''Wired'', November 23, 2011</ref>
| + | ==Possible Motives== |
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| − | Investigations into the real identity of Satoshi Nakamoto have been attempted by ''The New Yorker'', ''Fast Company'' and ''Newsweek''.
| + | 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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| − | ===Vili Lehdonvirta===
| + | Some interesting quotes: |
| − | ''The New Yorker'' suggested that Vili Lehdonvirta, a Finnish economist, was a possibility.<ref name="tny">{{cite news | url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/10/111010fa_fact_davis?currentPage=all | title=The Crypto-Currency | work=The New Yorker | date=10 October 2011 | accessdate=17 December 2013 | author=Davis, Joshua}}</ref>{{clarification needed}} Lehdonvirta denied being Nakamoto.<ref name="coindesk">{{cite web | url=http://www.coindesk.com/information/who-is-satoshi-nakamoto/ | title=Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? | publisher=coindesk.com | date=26 November 2013 | accessdate=17 December 2013}}</ref>
| + | <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 |
| | + | freedom for several years.</p> |
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| − | ===Michael Clear===
| + | <p>Governments are good at cutting off the heads of a centrally controlled |
| − | ''The New Yorker'' arrived at Michael Clear, a young graduate student in cryptography at Trinity College in Dublin, who was named the top computer-science undergraduate at Trinity in 2008.<ref name="tny"/> The next year, he was hired by Allied Irish Banks to improve its currency-trading software, and he co-authored an academic paper on peer-to-peer technology.<ref>[http://betabeat.com/2011/10/did-the-new-yorkers-joshua-davis-nail-the-identity-of-bitcoin-creator-satoshi-nakamoto/ The New Yorker’s Joshua Davis Attempts to Identify Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto]</ref> Clear strongly denied he was Nakamoto.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.scss.tcd.ie/~clearm/bitcoin.html | title=Clarifications on Bitcoin Article | date=4 April 2013 | accessdate=17 December 2013 | last=Clear |first=Michael}}</ref>
| + | networks like Napster, but pure P2P networks like Gnutella and Tor seem to be |
| | + | 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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| − | ===Neal King et al.===
| + | <blockquote>It's very attractive to the libertarian viewpoint if we can explain it |
| − | ''Fast Company'''s investigation brought up circumstantial evidence that indicated a link between an encryption patent application filed by Neal King, Vladimir Oksman and Charles Bry on August 15, 2008 and the bitcoin.org domain name which was registered 72 hours later. The [http://www.google.com/patents/US20100042841 patent application] contained networking and encryption technologies similar to Bitcoin's. After textual analysis, the phrase "computationally impractical to reverse" was found to be in both the patent application and the [[Bitcoin whitepaper]].<ref name="whitepaper">{{cite web |last= Nakamoto |first= Satoshi |title= Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System |url= http://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf |date= 24 May 2009}}</ref> All three inventors explicitly denied being Satoshi Nakamoto.<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= FastCompany |accessdate= 16 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last= Greenfield |first= Rebecca |title= The Race to Unmask Bitcoin's Inventor(s) |url= http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2011/10/race-unmask-bitcoins-inventors/43535/ |publisher= The Atlantic |date=11 October 2011|accessdate= 16 February 2013}}</ref>
| + | 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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| − | ===Shinichi Mochizuki=== | + | ==Possible identity== |
| − | In May 2013, [[Wikipedia:Ted Nelson|Ted Nelson]] speculated that Nakamoto is really Japanese mathematician [[Wikipedia:Shinichi Mochizuki|Shinichi Mochizuki]].<ref>{{cite web|date= 18 May 2013 |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emDJTGTrEm0 |title=I Think I Know Who Satoshi Is |publisher= YouTube TheTedNelson Channel}}</ref>{{clarification needed}} Later, an article was published in ''The Age'' newspaper that claimed that Mochizuki denied these speculations, but without attributing a source for the denial.<ref>{{cite news |author=Eileen Ormsby |url=http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/the-outlaw-cult-20130709-2po5j.html |title=The outlaw cult |publisher=Theage.com.au |date=2013-07-10 |accessdate=2013-12-19}}</ref>
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| − | <!-- to add here: Gavin Andresen, Jed McCaleb, Dustin Trammell, Ross Ulbricht -->
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| − | ===Nick Szabo===
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| − | In December 2013, a blogger named Skye Grey linked [[Nick Szabo]] to the Bitcoin's whitepaper using a stylometric analysis.<ref>{{cite news|author=John Biggs |url=http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/05/who-is-the-real-satoshi-nakamoto-one-researcher-may-have-found-the-answer/ | title=Who is the real Satoshi Nakamoto? One researcher may have found the answer |publisher=TechCrunch |date= |accessdate=2014-03-06}}</ref><ref name="likeinamirror1">{{cite news|author=Grey, Skye |url=https://likeinamirror.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/satoshi-nakamoto-is-probably-nick-szabo/ | title=Satoshi Nakamoto is (probably) Nick Szabo|date=2013-12-01 |accessdate=2014-03-13}}</ref><ref name="likeinamirror2">{{cite news|author=Grey, Skye |url=https://likeinamirror.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/occams-razor-who-is-most-likely-to-be-satoshi-nakamoto/ | title=Occam's Razor: who is most likely to be Satoshi Nakamoto? |date=2014-03-11 |accessdate=2014-03-15}}</ref> Szabo is a decentralized currency enthusiast and published a paper on "bit gold" in 1996, which is considered a precursor to bitcoin.<ref name="likeinamirror1" /><ref name="likeinamirror2" /> He is known to have been interested in using pseudonyms in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cypherpunks.venona.com/date/1993/10/msg00759.html | title=Re: on anonymity, identity, reputation, and spoofing |date=1993-10-18 |accessdate=2014-03-15}}</ref> In a May 2011 article, Szabo stated about the Bitcoin creator: "Myself, [[Wei Dai]], and [[Hal Finney]] were the only people I know of who liked the idea (or in Dai's case his related idea) enough to pursue it to any significant extent until Nakamoto (assuming Nakamoto is not really Finney or Dai)."<ref>{{cite news|author=Nick Szabo |url=http://unenumerated.blogspot.com/2011/05/bitcoin-what-took-ye-so-long.html | title=Bitcoin, what took ye so long?|date=2011-05-28 |accessdate=2014-03-12}}</ref>
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| − | Detailed research by financial author [[Wikipedia:Dominic Frisby|Dominic Frisby]] provides circumstantial evidence but, as he admits, no proof that Satoshi is Szabo.<ref>Frisby, Dominic (2014) "Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?" In Bitcoin : the Future of Money?, p 85-149. [[Unbound (publisher)|Unbound]]. ISBN 1783520779</ref> Speaking on ''RT'''s ''The Keiser Report'', he said "I've concluded there is only one person in the whole world that has the sheer breadth but also the specifity of knowledge and it is this chap...".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rt.com/shows/keiser-report/202535-episode-max-keiser-676/ | title=Nick Szabo is (probably) Satoshi Nakamato|date=2014-11-06 |accessdate=2014-11-06}} at ~17:30 into the show</ref> But Szabo has denied being Satoshi; In a July 2014 email to Frisby, he said: 'Thanks for letting me know. I'm afraid you got it wrong doxing me as Satoshi, but I'm used to it'.<ref>Frisby p 147</ref> Nathaniel Popper wrote in the ''New York Times'' that "the most convincing evidence pointed to a reclusive American man of Hungarian descent named Nick Szabo."<ref>{{cite news|first1=Nathaniel|last1=Popper|title=Decoding the Enigma|quote=the most convincing evidence pointed to a reclusive American man of Hungarian descent named Nick Szabo.|work=New York Times}}</ref>
| + | His identity and nationality are unknown. |
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| − | ===Dorian Nakamoto===
| + | 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". |
| − | {{main|Dorian Nakamoto}}
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| − | ''Newsweek'' identified Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto, an engineer from Temple City, California. In March 2014 he wrote to Newsweek, "I did not create, invent or otherwise work on Bitcoin. I unconditionally deny the Newsweek report."<ref>{{cite web|last= Goodman |first= Leah |middle=McGrath |title= The Face Behind Bitcoin |url= http://www.newsweek.com/2014/03/14/face-behind-bitcoin-247957.html |publisher= Newsweek |date=6 March 2014|accessdate= 15 May 2015}}</ref> Later [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Antonopoulos Andreas Antonopoulos] organized a fundraiser for Mr. Nakamoto, who thanked the community by video message.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7YmJZ-qVW8 Dorian Nakamoto - Thank you Bitcoin Community]</ref>
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| − | ===Hal Finney===
| + | 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. |
| − | [[Hal Finney]] was a pre-Bitcoin cryptographic pioneer and the first person (other than Satoshi himself) to use the software, file bug reports and make improvements. He also lived a few blocks from Dorian Nakamoto's family home, according to ''Forbes'' journalist Andy Greenberg.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2014/03/25/satoshi-nakamotos-neighbor-the-bitcoin-ghostwriter-who-wasnt/ | title=Nakamoto's Neighbor: My Hunt For Bitcoin's Creator Led To A Paralyzed Crypto Genius |date=2014-03-25 |accessdate=2015-03-25}}</ref> Greenberg asked the writing analysis consultancy Juola & Associates to compare a sample of Finney's writing to Satoshi Nakamoto's, and they found that it was the closest resemblance they had yet come across{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} (including the candidates suggested by ''Newsweek'', ''Fast Company'', ''The New Yorker'', Ted Nelson and Skye Grey). Greenberg theorized that Finney may have been a ghostwriter on behalf of Nakamoto, or that he simply used his neighbor Dorian's identity as a "drop" or "patsy whose personal information is used to hide online exploits". However, after meeting Finney, seeing the emails between him and Satoshi, his Bitcoin wallet's history including the very first Bitcoin transaction (from Satoshi to him, which he forgot to pay back) and hearing his denial, Greenberg concluded Finney was telling the truth. Juola & Associates also found that Satoshi's emails to Finney more closely resemble Satoshi's other writings than Finney's do. Finney's fellow extropian and sometimes co-blogger Robin Hanson assigned a subjective probability of "at least" 15% that "Hal was more involved than he’s said", before further evidence suggested that was not the case.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.overcomingbias.com/2014/03/conspiracy-theory-up-close-personal.html |title=Conspiracy Theory, Up Close & Personal |date=2014-03-25 |accessdate=2014-03-25}}</ref>
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| − | ==Work== | + | ==External links== |
| − | | + | * [http://forum.bitcoin.org/Satoshi_Nakamoto.asc Satoshi's PGP public key] |
| − | Nakamoto has claimed that he has been working on [[Bitcoin]] since 2007. In 2008, he published a [[Bitcoin_white_paper|paper]] on The Cryptography Mailing List at metzdowd.com 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.
| + | * [http://www.bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System] Paper |
| − | | + | * [http://sourceforge.net/users/s_nakamoto SourceForge page] |
| − | Version 0.1 was for Windows only and had no command-line interface. It was compiled using Microsoft Visual Studio. The code was elegant in some ways and inelegant in others. The code does not appear to have been written by either a total amateur or a professional programmer; some people speculate based on this that Satoshi was an academic with a lot of theoretical knowledge but not much programming experience. Version 0.1 was remarkably complete. If Satoshi truly only worked on it alone for two years, he must have spent a massive amount of time on the project.
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| − | Nakamoto was active in making modifications to the Bitcoin software and posting technical information on the [[Bitcoin Forum]] until his contact with other Bitcoin developers and the community gradually began to fade in mid-2010. Until a few months before he left, almost all modifications to the source code were done by Satoshi -- he accepted contributions relatively rarely. Just before he left, he set up [[User:Gavinandresen|Gavin Andresen]] as his successor by giving him access to the Bitcoin SourceForge project and a copy of the [[Alerts|alert key]].
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| − | ==Motives==
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| − | Nakamoto's work appears to be politically motivated, as quoted:
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| − | "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." - Satoshi Nakamoto
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| − | "[Bitcoin is] very attractive to the libertarian viewpoint if we can explain it properly. I'm better with code than with words though." - Satoshi Nakamoto
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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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| − | "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 (unit)|satoshi]]" in collective homage to his founding of [[Bitcoin]].
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| | ==References== | | ==References== |
| | <references/> | | <references/> |
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| − | ==External Links==
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| − | *[http://nakamotoinstitute.org/ Satoshi Nakamoto Institute], a collection of his and related papers
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| − | ** cf. [http://www.bookofsatoshi.com/ <i>The Book of Satoshi</i>]
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| − | *[http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/mf_bitcoin/ The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin]
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| − | *[http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/10/111010fa_fact_davis The Crypto-Currency: Bitcoin and its mysterious inventor]
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| − | *[http://www.mail-archive.com/search?l=cryptography@metzdowd.com&q=from:%22Satoshi+Nakamoto%22 Satoshi's posts to Cryptography mailing list]
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| − | *[[Bitcoin white paper]]
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| − | {{s-start|Bitcoin [[Core maintainer]]|Position established|2009–2011|[[Gavin Andresen]]}}
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| − | {{developers}}
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| − | [[Category:Pseudonyms]]
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| | [[de:Satoshi Nakamoto]] | | [[de:Satoshi Nakamoto]] |
| | [[es:Satoshi Nakamoto]] | | [[es:Satoshi Nakamoto]] |
| − | [[Category:People]] | + | |
| − | {{wp|Satoshi_Nakamoto}}
| + | [[Category:Individuals]] |
