14 DAY TRIAL // Back in March, Newsweek came out shouting out the truth about the man behind the Satoshi Nakamoto name of the Bitcoin creator, stating that the individual’s name is none other than Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto.
The man, a 64-year-old Japanese-American living near Los Angeles, had only heard about Bitcoin a few months prior. Needless to say, the information turned the man’s life upside down, with reporters camping on his front lawn for several days, hoping to get a glimpse of the elusive Bitcoin creator.
Dorian Nakamoto now plans to sue Newsweek and it is looking for financial help among Bitcoin users. “Newsweek must be held accountable for its reckless reporting. Please donate to Dorian Nakamoto’s Legal Defense Fund,” reads an announcement placed next to a picture in which the man poses with a note reading “Newsweek’s article hurt my family.”
People can donate with a credit or debit card, but also with the help of Bitcoins, check or money order.
Not hiding in plain sight
The theory was that Satoshi Nakamoto was hiding in plain sight, using the same name in his real life. Of course, considering all the mystery surrounding this individual, this theory doesn’t exactly hold water.
It’s not even certain that there is a single person behind the name, since many suspect it’s actually a group that came up with the cryptocurrency. Needless to say, that didn’t seem to matter when the publication ran the story.
“I did not create, invent or otherwise work on Bitcoin. I unconditionally deny the Newsweek report,” read a statement made by Dorian Nakamoto at the time. He explained that his background was in engineering, although he has the ability to program. “My most recent job was as an electrical engineer troubleshooting air traffic control equipment for the FAA. I have no knowledge of nor have I ever worked on cryptography, peer to peer systems, or alternative currencies.”
In Nakamoto’s help came Bitcoin users, who collected some 50 Bitcoins, which is equal to about $20,000 at the cryptocurrency’s value at the time, which helped him pay lawyers.
Dorian Nakamoto states that the article from March contains misstatements of fact and invented and altered quotes from Dorian and his family members, accusing the author of inventing additional conversation with him supporting their version of events.
Bitcoin is a software-based online payment system described by Satoshi Nakamoto back in 2008 and introduced as open source software in 2009. There’s been a lot of speculation regarding the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, but none has paid off over the years.