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Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? My quest to unmask Bitcoin's creator

nytimes.com

411–420 of 905 posts

Re: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? My quest to unmask Bitcoin's creator

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post #346
post #312

Simple question for anyone who’s familiar with this world of journalism: how does the author and the NYTimes cope with the fact that making such claims paint a huge target on the person they claim to have “unmasked”? Satoshi’s wallets are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and there have been kidnappings/torture/murders for much less than that. Do they just not care about the ethical implications? And really, for…

The NYTimes infamously doxxed Slate Star Codex[1], despite him basically begging them not to because it would upend his psychiatry practice, back in 2020 for no reason other than because they could. [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23610416

I always found that case a bit odd. For one he was blogging under his real name and had made his medical practice known, so you could just google him.

It was upending his psychiatry practice because he blogged, albeit in anonymized fashion, about his patients without disclosing it to them which I'd say is unethical but at the very least in the interest of his patients to be made known to them. I would be pretty pissed if I recognized something I told my psychiatrist on an internet blog. Frankly given how strongly one has to consent to even legally process clinical data I've never been sure if that was at all legal.

When someone's identity is in the public interest an investigative journalist isn't doxxing anyone, they're doing their job. Both true for Nakamoto and arguably Scott

Re: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? My quest to unmask Bitcoin's creator

#412

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Could you share a link to where he promotes race science?

This one is more direct than most, but comments about the subject are not uncommon on the older blog. I think reading this material is why the journalist turned against him but never stated why. "Psychiatrist has dozens of charts on their secret personal blog comparing the achievements of different sub-ethnicities in Israel" is a headline you might try to hide out of politeness to the uninvolved.

https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/05/29/four-nobel-truths/

(How can anyone who has read slatestarcodex not know?)

Re: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? My quest to unmask Bitcoin's creator

#413
post #312

Simple question for anyone who’s familiar with this world of journalism: how does the author and the NYTimes cope with the fact that making such claims paint a huge target on the person they claim to have “unmasked”? Satoshi’s wallets are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and there have been kidnappings/torture/murders for much less than that. Do they just not care about the ethical implications? And really, for…

Hundreds of billions, not millions.

Naah, the moment the first million of those is sold -- the price crashes.

In other words, imagine some investor had those billions, and could buy the key. Should they? A thing is worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.

Re: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? My quest to unmask Bitcoin's creator

#415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100% of people who've ever had DHMO have died. This is scientifically verified and yet nobody does anything about it.

> and yet nobody does anything about it So dismissive of all the transhumanist efforts to eradicate death!

Their failure to address the presence of DMHO suggests they are not serious.

Re: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? My quest to unmask Bitcoin's creator

#416
post #378

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Satoshi’s wallets are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and there have been kidnappings/torture/murders for much less than that. So if Forbes publishes a list of the richest people in the world, it makes them targets?

a killer from Moscow used to cost $5000

After events of last 4 years in Russia you can probably be killed there for $100 or for a wrong look. Lots of trigger happy ex-convict veterans with PTSD are around.

For now they are busy killing their wives and relatives, but eventually they will run out of money for alcohol and will have to find a "job".

Re: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? My quest to unmask Bitcoin's creator

#417
post #408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I think you have that backwards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slate_Star_Codex#Anti-reaction...

Yes, he had to distance himself from it because his audience turned out to be significantly more horrible than him and it was getting on his nerves. But he still holds significant sympathy towards race science views.

Re: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? My quest to unmask Bitcoin's creator

#418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can someone explain why this relatively recent tweet fight is convincing evidence that Szabo is too ignorant to have been behind Bitcoin? I’m a primary player in this sad saga. I can tell you that neither Szabo nor Back are Satoshi, as anyone who knows them would attest. But to your question, all this does is make this “journalist” look dumb. The thing being discussed by Adam and Nick wasn’t wven proposed for bitco…

> I can tell you that neither Szabo nor Back are Satoshi, as anyone who knows them would attest. I'm sure you can tell us, and I'm sure you all will attest it, but is it true though? You probably wouldn't "out" Satoshi if it was one of you working on anonymous payment systems on the mailing list, and it very obviously is - there were like ten people at most, if we're generous, who were working on what was at the time…

I co-founded a company with Adam Back. If he is Satoshi, I'd be pissed that we had to take money on really bad terms while he was sitting on billions. And I'd find it strange that I had to correct minor misconceptions about how bitcoin worked back in 2013/2014. That's all non-transferable evidence though that you just have to take, or not take at face value.

On the other hand, just go read Adam's twitter. Half the time it is incomprehensible word salad because Adam clearly still does not proof-read his communications. Yet Satoshi's emails and forum posts were always considered and well-crafted.

In any case, I have no stake in this. I don't even own bitcoin anymore. It's just frustrating to see people's lives continuously turned upside down for no reason other than to drive clicks towards the NYT, without even the most basic journalistic integrity.

Re: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? My quest to unmask Bitcoin's creator

#419
post #312

Simple question for anyone who’s familiar with this world of journalism: how does the author and the NYTimes cope with the fact that making such claims paint a huge target on the person they claim to have “unmasked”? Satoshi’s wallets are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and there have been kidnappings/torture/murders for much less than that. Do they just not care about the ethical implications? And really, for…

Well given they have hunreds of millions of dollars to protect themselves with, it seems like it would be a good time to start using it.

Imagine mafia knocking on your door and putting a gun to your head because some journalist figured out you are secret billionare.

Not cool?

Re: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? My quest to unmask Bitcoin's creator

#420
post #312

Simple question for anyone who’s familiar with this world of journalism: how does the author and the NYTimes cope with the fact that making such claims paint a huge target on the person they claim to have “unmasked”? Satoshi’s wallets are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and there have been kidnappings/torture/murders for much less than that. Do they just not care about the ethical implications? And really, for…

>Satoshi’s wallets are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and there have been kidnappings/torture/murders for much less than that. So if Forbes publishes a list of the richest people in the world, it makes them targets?

Those people are on alert and already protected. Satoshi is probably a regular guy without any other security other than being anonymous. We are also assuming that they are doxing the real guy, and not some bystander that now have to deal with all the consequences without having the resources to protect himself. Lets suppose they are wrong, they dox the wrong person, "opsies, let us add a footnote to the text saying we were wrong, and let us forget this happened" (RE: reddit played detective a couple times and botched normal people lives).
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