Dave Troy, a well-known technology entrepreneur and investigative journalist, applied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for information about Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, based on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The FBI's reply indicated that Satoshi Nakamoto may be "one or more third-party individuals" and neither admitted nor denied that it had information related to Satoshi Nakamoto.
Considering the influence of Bitcoin and the mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity, the FBI’s attitude towards the case has attracted widespread attention. If the FBI eventually confirms that it has information about Satoshi Nakamoto to some extent, this may have a profound impact on the cryptocurrency industry.
Troy analyzed that the FBI claimed that Satoshi Nakamoto was a "third-party individual" and that the agency neither confirmed nor denied that they had any records about Satoshi Nakamoto. This usually means that the agency may indeed have some relevant information, but it is not disclosed due to national security or other reasons. In response, Troy said that he plans to appeal the FBI's response and emphasized that his purpose is not to determine the identity behind this anonymity, but to obtain information that the bureau may have about the subject.
It is worth mentioning that in 2018, an editor of the technology and culture channel Motherboard also used the Freedom of Information Act to ask the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for information about the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, and the CIA made a similar response at the time. However, based on past experience, this response may also mean that these intelligence agencies have a certain degree of information.
Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? This has always been the biggest mystery in the cryptocurrency world. Over the years, there have been many people who claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto. The most representative of them is Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who has long insisted that he is Satoshi Nakamoto and is nicknamed "Australian Satoshi" by the community.
However, this year a British judge ruled that Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, nor is he the author of the Bitcoin white paper. Last month, it was reported that the British prosecutors were considering charging Wright with forgery and issued an arrest warrant. Wright's global assets worth 6 million pounds were also frozen by the judge. Finally, Wright recently officially stated on his personal website that he is not Satoshi Nakamoto, and the farce that has lasted for many years has finally come to an end.
In fact, apart from Craig Wright, who is regarded as a joke, the candidate who is considered the most likely to be Satoshi Nakamoto in the community is the legendary cryptographer Hal Finney. This CyberPunk legend died of illness in 2014. Since he was the first person to receive Bitcoin through the transaction mechanism, many people speculated that he was one of the real Satoshi Nakamoto. However, Troy judged based on the latest response from the FBI that if the agency believes that the deceased Finney is Satoshi Nakamoto, then there should be no problem in publishing his files.
Since the publication of the Bitcoin white paper in 2008, many people have speculated on the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, but no one has been able to definitively prove who he is. Satoshi Nakamoto's profile on the P2PFoundation platform shows that his birthday is April 5, 1975. In his last communication with developers in 2011, Satoshi said that he had "moved on to other things." Other than that, there is very limited information about Satoshi Nakamoto's identity.
The recent response from the FBI has undoubtedly triggered a new round of speculation and discussion about the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. Although the FBI refused to disclose any direct information, its attitude seems to suggest that the agency may have some intelligence related to Satoshi Nakamoto. Whether the FBI will further disclose more information in the future and arouse great public concern is worthy of our continued attention.
In short, despite years of searching, the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains a mystery. With the continuous development of the cryptocurrency industry, the mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto's identity may eventually be revealed. But before that, the mysterious founder of Bitcoin will continue to arouse speculation and curiosity around the world.
