In 2010, the same person disappeared from the scene and was never heard from again. His last public communication was about the whistleblower site Wikileaks. The message read: “WikiLeaks has kicked the hornet’s nest and the swarm is on its way to us… I appeal to WikiLeaks not to try to use Bitcoin.” Bitcoin is a small beta community that is still in its infancy. You wouldn’t be able to bear getting more than an allowance and the heat you would bring would probably destroy us at this stage.”

In the years since, many have tried and failed to solve the Satoshi mystery – the first high-profile attempt was that of journalist Leah McGrath Goodman in 2014. She identified Japanese-American Dorian Nakamoto as a suspect, but he denied the claim Although others in the community remained unconvinced by her reporting.

In 2016, Australian cryptographer Craig Steven Wright stepped forward to claim the title after being reluctantly labeled as Satoshi in documents leaked to the press the year before. Although he was supported by some high-profile early community members, his campaign to convince the world that he was the creator of Bitcoin was torpedoed at the last minute when he inexplicably failed to provide his promised proof. His aggressive approach with lawsuits against anyone who questioned him also cast doubt on the claims.

Subsequent trials completed Wright’s downfall. In March this year, a British Supreme Court judge ruled that Wright was not Satoshi Nakamoto. The self-proclaimed scholar, whose cases were funded by gambling magnate Calvin Ayre, now faces perjury charges.

The unusual suspects

Those most commonly suspected of being Satoshi include the late software engineer Hal Finney, systems engineer Dorian Nakamoto, computer scientist Nick Szabo and Hashcash inventor Adam Back.

But many in the Bitcoin community reject attempts to identify Satoshi, arguing the importance of his right to privacy. They argue that without supporting evidence – most notably the transfer of coins from a known Satoshi wallet – all claims are merely speculative.

“For years there has been endless speculation about the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, both in print and in the media,” said Peter McCormack, a Bitcoin podcaster who was sued for questioning Craig Wright’s claims. “But until someone signs the private keys linked to Satoshi’s addresses, this is all just guesswork.

“Satoshi gave the world a great gift with Bitcoin,” he continued, “but he consciously chose to remain anonymous – a decision that must be respected.” Attempts to expose them are not only irresponsible, but potentially dangerous.”