Key Points
There have been recent speculations that Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor and whistleblower, might be Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. In response to these speculations, Snowden shared his thoughts about what should happen if he ever claims to be the Bitcoin founder.
Snowden’s Stand on Being the Bitcoin Creator
In his response to these speculations, Snowden neither confirmed nor denied the possibility of him being Satoshi Nakamoto. He mentioned that if he ever claims to be Satoshi, people should scrutinize his posts to determine if he’s joking or if age has affected his mental faculties.
Snowden also suggested that if his claim of being Satoshi is not a joke or a result of old age, then it could be a duress code. This statement implies that Snowden is likely not the Bitcoin founder. The speculation about Snowden being Satoshi Nakamoto surfaced after he made a post about Bitcoin.
In his post, Snowden praised Bitcoin as the “most significant monetary advance since the creation of coinage.” He also revealed during the Super Bowl that he was monitoring the Bitcoin chart while others were focused on the football event.
Snowden has been vocal about Bitcoin in the past, commenting on the approval of Spot Bitcoin ETFs and comparing Gold to the crypto token. Being a computer scientist, it’s not surprising that there are speculations about Snowden’s involvement in Bitcoin’s creation, even though he didn’t confirm it. Interestingly, Snowden was involved in the creation of the privacy coin Zcash.
Meanwhile, Craig Wright, who claims to be the inventor of Bitcoin, is currently in a legal battle with the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) to prove his claims. The court hearing started on January 15 and has seen numerous arguments from both parties.
Stefan Matthews, the co-founder of nChain where Wright worked, testified in favor of Wright, stating that he believes Wright is not lying about being Satoshi. This statement is significant as Matthews had previously made a statement that questioned Wright’s truthfulness.
Wright has always claimed to be the “Creator of Bitcoin.” He once referred to Snowden as a “traitorous scum” when Snowden highlighted how Satoshi has managed to remain anonymous. Wright corrected Snowden by saying that he “was never anonymous.”
