Australian cryptocurrency expert Craig Wright on Monday publicly identified himself as bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Wright backed up his claim by showing he had access to blocks of bitcoins known to be owned by the bitcoin's creator.
During an interview with BBC, Wright digitally signed messages using cryptographic keys that were created during the early days of bitcoin's development. The keys used by Wright are closely linked to blocks of bitcoins that were created or "mined" by Nakamoto. Prominent members of the bitcoin community reportedly backed Wright’s claim.
"These are the blocks used to send 10 bitcoins to Hal Finney in January [2009] as the first bitcoin transaction," Wright told BBC, adding that Hal Finney, a renowned cryptographer, was one of the engineers who helped turn his ideas into the bitcoin protocol.
Wright revealed about his identity to three media organizations — the BBC, the Economist and GQ.
"I’m not seeking publicity, but want to set the record straight," Wright said, according to the Economist. “People are assuming [the misinformation against me] is true, because I’m not saying anything. This impacts not just me and my work, but my family, my staff and everything else.”
In December, both Wired and Gizmodo identified Wright as the actual person behind the Nakamoto identity. Over the last few months, several media organizations, including the New Yorker, Fast Company and Newsweek, have conducted investigations seeking bitcoin's creator and have named several different people as candidates.
Jon Matonis, one of the founding directors of the Bitcoin Foundation, told BBC he was convinced Wright was who he claimed to be.
"During the London proof sessions, I had the opportunity to review the relevant data along three distinct lines: cryptographic, social, and technical," Matonis reportedly said. "It is my firm belief that Craig Wright satisfies all three categories."
Wright had gone into hiding and refused to comment to media after the revelations in December. Australian tax authorities raided his house at the time but said it was not in relation to his links to bitcoin.
Wright told BBC he planned to release information that would allow others to cryptographically verify that he is Nakamoto.
However, the Economist said it was not entirely convinced.
"Our conclusion is that Mr Wright could well be Mr Nakamoto, but that important questions remain," it said. "Indeed, it may never be possible to establish beyond reasonable doubt who really created bitcoin."