Fun

News Feed - 2023-09-22 02:09:33

Martin Young3 hours agoNic Carter doubles down on theory Bitcoin was invented by NSAThe decade-old “NSA created Bitcoin” theory has again made the rounds on social media, with one Bitcoin advocate adding more weight to his ongoing theory.3969 Total views28 Total sharesListen to article 0:00NewsJoin us on social networksBitcoin advocate Nic Carter has come out to reiterate his support for the theory that the United States National Security Agency (NSA) had something to do with the creation of Bitcoin (BTC).


On Sept. 15, Iris Energy co-founder Daniel Roberts seemingly revived the decade-old theory on X after posting screenshots of a 1996 paper titled “How to Make a Mint: The Cryptography of Anonymous Electronic Cash.”


The paper is one of the first known discussions of a Bitcoin-like system, which proposes using public-key cryptography to allow users to make anonymous payments without revealing their identity.


The footer notes show the research paper was “prepared by NSA employees.” Sources included cryptography expert Tatsuaki Okamoto, who co-invented the Okamoto–Uchiyama public key cryptosystem in 1998.


On Sept. 21, Carter, a partner at Castle Island Ventures, doubled down his support for the notion, stating, “I actually do believe this,” before adding:“I call it the ‘Bitcoin lab leak hypothesis.’ I think it was a shuttered internal R&D project, which one researcher thought was too good to lay fallow on the shelf and chose to secretly release.”


Carter has actually held the theory for several years, proposing back in 2020: “If Bitcoin was written by NSA cryptographers as a monetary bioweapon, if you will, and the code escaped those sensitive confines... does that make it a virus... that escaped from a lab?”


In 2021, he stated, “The only decent thing the NSA ever did from the world was let bitcoin leak from the lab.”I actually do believe this. I call it the bitcoin lab leak hypothesis. I think it was a shuttered internal R&D project which one researcher thought was too good to lay fallow on the shelf and chose to secretly release https://t.co/qXJkQTciSK— nic carter (@nic__carter) September 21, 2023


However, he went on to say that this doesn’t imply that the United States government secretly controls all the Bitcoin, another theory that often piggybacks on the Bitcoin/NSA conspiracy theory, which suggests the NSA created a backdoor to the Bitcoin code.“In my version of this made-up idea, the researcher did it without permission of the NSA and chose to leave the coins behind so as to preserve his anonymity.”


“There’s a ton of other circumstantial evidence which supports this [theory],” he added.


Meanwhile, some users drew attention to one of the cryptography academics, Tatsuaki Okamoto, listed in the 1996 paper, suggesting the name sounds very similar to Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.


“The name could have been used as inspiration for Satoshi. That’s not really a critical part of the theory, though,” Carter said.


Related:This is how Satoshi Nakamoto envisioned crypto working


Meanwhile, Matthew Pines, director of intelligence at cybersecurity firm Krebs Stamos, believes it was most likely a “cross-fertilization of NSA crypto nerds and cypherpunk nerds,” adding:“I suspect Satoshi (or at least his/their close intellectual collaborators) has close NSA work associations — but I don’t think Bitcoin itself or the white paper were officially sanctioned.”


Former Goldman Sachs executive Raoul Pal has previously shared his own theory. In an interview with Impact Theory earlier this year, he said:“I think the U.S. government and the U.K. government invented it... which is the NSA and the GCHQ in the U.K., who are the two world centers of cryptography.”


In August, Cointelegraph did a deep dive into the conspiracy theory and interviewed former NSA cryptanalyst Jeff Man, who said that, while it was “feasible” that the NSA could have created Bitcoin as a means to gather intelligence about its enemies, it is highly doubtful.


However, Man concluded that even if they did, it is likely we’ll never find out the real story behind the world’s most popular digital asset until it doesn’t matter anymore.


Magazine:Big Questions: Did the NSA create Bitcoin?# Bitcoin# NSAAdd reactionAdd reactionRead moreWhat is profit and loss (PnL) and how to calculate itBitcoin short-term holders ‘panic’ amid nearly 100% unrealized lossHow to buy Bitcoin with Venmo

News Feed

Turner Wright8 hours agoUK financial watchdog announces launch of permanent Digital Sandbox in AugustAccording to the FCA, the sandbox will be open to businesses, startups and data providers, including those involved in
Bitcoin, Ethereum Technical Analysis: ETH Surges Above $1,200 to Start the Weekend
Bitcoin, Ethereum Technical Analysis: ETH Surges Above $1,200 to Start the Weekend Ethereum was back above $1,200 on Saturday, as bullish sentiment returned to cryptocurrency marke
Bitcoin Open Interest Falls To $37 Billion—Does This Spell Trouble For BTC?
Reason to trust Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality Created by industry experts and meticulously reviewed The highest standards in reporting and pu
Grayscale Investments Scooped Up Over 17,000 BTC in the Last Seven Days
Grayscale Investments Scooped Up Over 17,000 BTC in the Last Seven DaysDuring the last seven days, Grayscale Investments purchased 17,100 BTC or $182 million worth of bitcoin using
Rakesh Upadhyay4 hours agoBitcoin price support at $30K opens the door for gains from UNI, ARB, AAVE and MKRBTC price is back in its range, potentially given opportunities for UNI, ARB, AAVE and MKR to move higher.1642 T
FBI seizes $6M from crypto scammers targeting US citizens
Stephen Katte21 hours agoFBI seizes $6M from crypto scammers targeting US citizensTether said it aided in recovering the stolen crypto by freezing the scammers’ wallets, which the FBI then seized.  2931 Total views14
William Suberg10 hours agoBitcoin bids move to lowest since March as BTC price dips under $25.7KBTC price action reflects a tug-of-war between weak bulls and bears, but Bitcoin breaking down is firmly on the cards.3014 T
Huobi Global Is Forcing US Customers to Use Its Local Partner
Huobi Global will kick all of its U.S. customers off its platform later this month. The cryptocurrency exchange announced it would freeze all U.S. accounts on Nov. 13, framing the m
Bitcoin Core dev receives grant for maintaining BIP repository
Ezra Reguerra11 hours agoBitcoin Core dev receives grant for maintaining BIP repositoryDeveloper Jon Atack believes that Bitcoin plays a role in human freedom, decentralization of power, privacy and self-sovereignty. 17
Bithumb Terminates Trademark Agreements With 2 Foreign-Based Exchanges
Bithumb Terminates Trademark Agreements With 2 Foreign-Based Exchanges Leading Korean crypto exchange Bithumb is terminating its trademark agreements with two co
China Frozen Bank Account Controversy: Affected Clients Injured During Protests, Nearly $6 Billion Missing
China Frozen Bank Account Controversy: Affected Clients Injured During Protests, Nearly $6 Billion Missing Some Chinese bank clients, whose accounts were frozen in April, were inju
Bitcoin block art? Marathon showcases visualization potential of block building
Gareth Jenkinson10 hours agoBitcoin block art? Marathon showcases visualization potential of block buildingMarathon Digital explores the potential of “block art” by using its mining pool to craft the order of transac