According to Cointelegraph: The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a cryptic response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request regarding Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. The FBI's reply, known as a “Glomar response,” neither confirms nor denies the existence of records related to Nakamoto, but it included an intriguing implication that has caught the attention of the crypto community.
On August 13, investigative journalist Dave Troy shared on social media platform X that the FBI had responded to his FOIA request with a “Glomar response.” This standard reply, often used in matters of national security, indicates that the FBI will not confirm or deny the existence of any records concerning Nakamoto. However, Troy pointed out that the FBI’s wording suggested Nakamoto might be a “third party individual,” raising further questions about the identity of the mysterious Bitcoin creator.
Troy clarified that his request was broad and aimed at uncovering what, if any, information the FBI might have on Nakamoto. He emphasized that his primary goal was not to unmask Nakamoto’s identity but to gather any relevant information held by the bureau. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that such information could potentially shed light on Nakamoto’s true identity.
Since the publication of the Bitcoin white paper in 2008, there has been endless speculation about who Satoshi Nakamoto really is. While some believe Nakamoto could be a group of people, others have suggested individuals like early Bitcoin contributor Hal Finney, who passed away in 2014. Troy noted that if the FBI believed Finney was Nakamoto, there should be no issue in releasing related files, yet the bureau’s ambiguous response only deepens the mystery.
This isn’t the first time a FOIA request concerning Nakamoto has met with such a response. In 2018, similar requests made to the FBI and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) were met with identical Glomar responses, leaving the question of Nakamoto’s identity unresolved.
Adding to the ongoing intrigue, Australian computer scientist Craig Wright, who has long claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, recently issued a legal disclaimer stating he is not the Bitcoin creator. Wright, who has been embroiled in legal battles over his claims, could face perjury charges in the United Kingdom for his previous assertions.
The true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains one of the most enduring mysteries in the cryptocurrency world. While Nakamoto’s P2P Foundation profile lists a birth date of April 5, 1975, and the last known communication from Nakamoto in 2011 suggested they had “moved on to other things,” no definitive proof has ever surfaced.
Troy has indicated that he plans to appeal the FBI’s response, but for now, the enigma of Satoshi Nakamoto continues to capture the imagination of the crypto community.