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 piece 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, Mr. Nakamoto said that he was “no longer involved in that and I cannot discuss it.â€
“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 Mr. Nakamoto by going through a database of naturalized American citizens.
According to the article, Mr. Nakamoto was originally born in Japan, the spiritual birthplace of Bitcoin, and now goes by “Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto.â€
Mr. Nakamoto appeared to have called the police when the reporter came to his home, so great was his desire not to 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 Mr. Nakamoto to Bitcoin through various work experiences, but offers no hard evidence.
While many in the Bitcoin community said that Newsweek had made compelling arguments, others were swift to wonder whether the right person had been identified.
“Computer security researchers, we’re trained to be skeptical,†said Tyler Moore, an assistant professor at Southern Methodist University who led a discussion of anonymity and Bitcoin at a cryptography conference on Thursday. “Most of the people I’ve talked to have taken a ‘wait and see’ approach.â€
The article also caused a stir for offering various personal details about Mr. Nakamoto, including where he lives, his age and birthplace. Those details elicited a number of angry comments on Newsweek’s website and elsewhere, and “Satoshi Nakamoto†was trending for part of the day on Thursday.
The author of the Newsweek story, Leah McGrath Goodman, even took to her Twitter to answer some often heated questions from readers.
“This man invented something that shaped our world. Should all inventors now fear murder?†Ms. Goodman wrote in response to a comment about posting Mr. Nakamoto’s personal details.
Users access Bitcoins by solving math riddles with software programs, or buying the coins on online “exchanges.†Only about 12.4 million coins are currently in circulation, and the original creator ensured that only 21 million coins would ever exist.
But Bitcoins have failed to catch on with mainstream financial institutions. They are backed by no central bank and fluctuate wildly in price.
While some users like the fact that Bitcoins circumvent the traditional banking system, they are also left with few options when things go south. Last week, the virtual currency world was shaken by the collapse of Mt. Gox, which at one point handled about 80 percent of all Bitcoin transactions.
