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Wired reports that Peter Todd has gone into hiding due to a flurry of funding requests and potential threats from people who believe he owns Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto's multi-billion dollar fortune. This highlights the real-world danger of such public suspicions.
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But Todd tweeted that Wired's claims were “exaggerated” and cited his appearance at this week's conference as proof of that.
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A recent documentary by Karen Hoback suggested that Todd may be Nakamoto (something Todd denied).
Bitcoin developer Peter Todd, identified as Satoshi Nakamoto, the network's pseudonymous creator in the much-hyped yet much-maligned HBO documentary Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, has “gone into hiding” Wired reported on Tuesday.
Todd, who is quoted in the article, said the central claim was “exaggerated” in an X Wednesday post that quoted a photo of Todd speaking at a conference in Atlanta that day. Ta.
Todd was previously identified as Nakamoto in a documentary filmed by Karen Hoback, who identified the face behind the QAnon conspiracy. However, Todd denied being Nakamoto in an email to CoinDesk.
Hoback's possible evidence that Todd, a Canadian, is Nakamoto includes his interest in cryptography from an early age, his relationship with Adam Back (who actually sent the email to Nakamoto), and his technical ability. , and Nakamoto's use of British/Canadian spelling.
The documentary provides the strongest clue through a 2010 public forum interaction in which Todd appears (to Hoback) to be replying to a post as himself rather than the mysterious Bitcoin creator, hinting at a possible gaffe. suggested. Hoback claimed this as evidence that Todd could be Nakamoto, but the documentary falls short of making a conclusive claim.
The Bitcoin community has largely ignored Hoback's findings. However, Hoback told Wired that he is confident that Todd is indeed Nakamoto.
However, this suspicion has serious implications in the real world.
Todd told Wired that his email has been flooded with messages asking for financial help, but that there are threats of “continued harassment from crazy people.”
Personal safety is a concern for Mr. Todd because criminals may believe he is Nakamoto. Nakamoto has over 1 million BTC in his wallet, worth over $67 billion at recent prices. This puts this unknown person on the list of the 25 richest people in the world.
