There’s no doubt about the fact that the bitcoin community has voiced their opinions on a Newsweek exposé of the alleged Satoshi Nakamoto (long story short: outrage and disappointment) by Leah McGrath Goodman, but now the Bitcoin Foundation is chiming in.
“Today we have seen heightened media speculation on the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto,” the advocacy group writes in their response, entitled We Are All Bitcoin. “As of this writing, we have seen zero conclusive evidence that the identified person is the designer of Bitcoin. Those closest to the Bitcoin project, the informal team of core developers, have always been unaware of Nakamoto’s true identity, as Nakamoto communicated purely through electronic means.”
The foundation took the opportunity to remind the community that “There was no need to know and trust Satoshi Nakamoto. The design stood by itself, open to inspection by all. Satoshi Nakamoto ultimately created a ‘language’ of sorts with the bitcoin protocol.”
The post, by Jeff Garzik, continues:
Satoshi’s identity may or may not be revealed in time. Based on current research from Sergio Lerner, Satoshi does not appear to have moved or spent any Bitcoins. Satoshi is unlikely to be sitting on a beach in Tahiti, next to a multi-million dollar mansion. Satoshi is unlikely to be prepared for determined, potentially violent thieves and curiosity seekers. Curiosity in Satoshi’s identity is understandable, but please consider responsible disclosure, and the danger such a revelation may generate.
It just about sums up the community’s reaction, less the anger. But regardless of who Nakamoto is or isn’t, we’re reminded that Goodman’s piece, while interesting, is irrelevant.
“The Bitcoin protocol would not exist without Satoshi, who is without question a brilliant designer. However, Bitcoin will endure well past Satoshi, as Bitcoin is everyone who uses it, not just one person.”
Read the full post on the Bitcoin Foundation blog.