An article in Newsweek that says it has found the real Satoshi Nakamoto, the alias used by the creator of the virtual currency Bitcoin, has prompted many enthusiasts to question whether the right person had been identified.
According to the Newsweek article published online on Thursday, the real Satoshi Nakamoto is a 64-year-old model train buff living in Southern California with his mom. His birth name was, in fact, Satoshi Nakamoto, which had previously been thought to be a pseudonym for the creator, or group of creators, behind Bitcoin.
When approached by a reporter, Nakamoto said that he was “no longer involved in that and I cannot discuss it.”
“It’s been turned over to other people. They are in charge of it now. I no longer have any connection,” he is quoted as saying.
The origins of Bitcoin, a computer-driven form of money that only exists online, have been a mystery since it appeared in 2009. Other publications have tried, and failed, to identify the real Satoshi Nakamoto. Newsweek says it found Nakamoto by going through a database of naturalized American citizens.
According to the article, Nakamoto was born in Japan, the spiritual birthplace of Bitcoin, and now goes by “Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto.”
Nakamoto appeared to have called the police when a Newsweek reporter came to his home, so great was his desire to not speak about the virtual currency. Various relatives quoted in the story also did not know, or did not say, whether he created Bitcoin.
People have generally thought that Bitcoin was created by a group of programmers rather than an individual because of its complex mathematics and structure. The Newsweek article links Nakamoto to Bitcoin through various work experiences, but offers no hard evidence.
Read the full story at nytimes.com
