The true identity of Bitcoin’s creator is still the subject of endless speculation among cryptocurrency enthusiasts. But that’s no wonder: the mystery is truly fascinating. After all, it’s a matter of finding someone who deserves at least a Nobel Prize (maybe that’s how you can lure Nakamoto out?). In this article, however, we’ll focus on Harold Thomas Finney II, better known simply as Hal Finney. Is Satoshi Nakamoto really him?
Satoshi Nakamoto was born…
Well, we know almost nothing about Satoshi. We don’t even know his age or formal education. So let’s focus for a moment on the biography of Hal Finney, who many believe is the most serious candidate for the creator of BTC.
Finney was born in California in 1956. He graduated from the world-famous Caltech school, earning an engineering degree in 1979. After several years of working on creating computer games, he joined PGP Corporation. He was also a member of the Cypherpunk movement and a participant in its mailing list, quite popular in the early 1990s. He also remained an avid programmer and philosopher. He was especially interested in the topic of privacy on the Internet.
In 2004, Finney designed a reusable proof of work that required the requester to perform some computational work. The idea itself was supposed to protect computer systems from DoS attacks. As it turned out, it was also part of the idea that Satoshi Nakamoto himself implemented a few years later. In addition, Hal received the first ever transaction on the BTC network directly from Satoshi, with whom he worked.
Coincidences or is Satoshi…
Now let’s look at some of the other coincidences that might suggest that Hal actually created BTC. But first, let’s take a look at this quote from Finney’s 1992 email:
“Here we have problems of loss of privacy, creeping computerization, huge databases, more centralization – and Chaum offers a completely different development, which puts power in the hands of individuals, not governments and corporations. The computer can be used as a tool to liberate and protect people, not to control them.”
We are of course talking about David Chaum, who is referred to as the “father of digital money”. It is widely appreciated that he created a system for anonymous, electronic payments – DigiCash.
Finney himself expressed many libertarian and anarchic views on individual freedom. Analysis of Satoshi Nakamoto’s correspondence and the Bitcoin whitepaper show that the person who designed BTC thought similarly.
It gets even weirder from there. Sam Finney lived in Temple City, California. And just a few blocks from Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto. His neighbor was later accused of creating the world’s first cryptocurrency. Newsweek quoted him a few years ago:
“I did not create, invent, or otherwise work on Bitcoin. I unconditionally reject Newsweek’s reporting.”
Some, however, believe that Finney may have been inspired by Dorian when creating his supposed pseudonym.
Designing Bitcoin
Hal Finney was probably one of the first people in the world to show real interest in Satoshi Nakamoto’s offer and idea. Today, the oldest BTC fans recall that when Satoshi announced his idea on a crypto mailing list, he was met with skepticism.
“I was more positive about it”
– however, Finney recalled.
He was also the first person in history who was not Satoshi (if he was not Satoshi) to use a cryptocurrency. In January 2009, Hal tweeted:
“Launching Bitcoin.”
Initials
In one of the emails to Finney, Nakamoto wrote about a certain address on the BTC network. It was his own address:
1NSwywA5Dvuyw89sfs3oLPvLiDNGf48cPD.
The first two letters are “NS.” There are a few things that are intriguing here. First, Japanese names are traditionally pronounced and written after surnames. In other words, someone known in the U.S. as Satoshi Nakamoto introduces himself in Japan as Nakamoto Satoshi (NS!). So why did the “Western” creator of Bitcoin write his initials in Japanese grammatical order? Perhaps Finney was familiar with this aspect of Japanese culture and wanted to further disguise his origins?
Some believe, however, that these initials stand for “Nick Szabo,” a reference to another member of the cypherpunk community, the creator of Bit Gold, a project that is considered the forefather of Bitcoin. Finney corresponded with him and was certainly familiar with his work.
Simultaneous retirement
And finally, another fact. Perhaps the most interesting. Hal Finney resigned from PGP Corporation in early 2011. The last known email correspondence from Satoshi Nakamoto dates back to April 26, 2011. Writing to developer Gavin Andresen after effectively handing him over to manage the Bitcoin project, Satoshi states:
“By talking about me as a mysterious, dark figure, the press is just turning it (Bitcoin) into a pirate currency. Maybe talk (to the media) about an open source project instead (…).”
Andresen replied to the BTC creator that he had already been invited to participate in a CIA-related event. Nakamoto never responded to this message. Maybe he got scared…
Many facts point to Hala
Like Szabo and many other cypherpunks and early cryptocurrency market participants, Hal Finney was deeply interested in transhumanism, but also in cryogenics. Why the latter? He retired early due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He eventually died in August 2014. His body was frozen at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona.
Hal Finney’s contribution to bringing Bitcoin to where it is today is hard to overstate. What is also rare in the space of hackers, crypto nerds, and cypherpunks is the certain spark he supposedly possessed. It’s about his childlike enthusiasm and down-to-earth approach that brought a human element to his work and legacy. Whether or not he is Satoshi Nakamoto remains a mystery. In honor of Hal’s accomplishments, Sirin Labs named their smartphone after him. Finney is still available today as one of the first “blockchain phones” (second to HTC Exodus) in history and one of the most secure communication devices.
Who are you, Mr. Nakamoto?
The above data and facts may suggest that Hal Finney was Nakamoto. But why did he want to hide and, as it were, write with himself to additionally hide his identity? Let us remember that in 2009 he was diagnosed with the aforementioned amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is possible that at the same time he wanted to leave something behind to the world, but also to avoid media attention and interest from the services (maybe that’s why there was no response to Andresen’s email regarding the CIA?). It is possible that he wanted to protect his loved ones in this way.
Today, we will never know the truth. But Hal certainly remains one of the most enigmatic figures in the story of Bitcoin, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies.
