A idea printed final month makes an attempt to tether now deceased Cypherpunk Len Sassaman to the creation of the world’s first cryptocurrency. On February 21, a author, Leung, printed a complete examine that appears at the potential of Sassaman being Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin.
Coincidently two months earlier than Sassaman died, Nakamoto left the crypto group saying most likely he will not be round sooner or later.
Who’s Len Sassaman?
Sassaman (1980–2011) was one of many authentic cypherpunks and an advocate for privateness. In keeping with his spouse, he dedicated suicide on July 3, 2011. That 12 months, Black Hat Briefings disclosed {that a} tribute to Sassaman was embedded into BTC blockchain.
Leung explains how the obituary is connected to the BTC community.
“Embedded on each single node of the Bitcoin community is an obituary,” Leung wrote. “It’s a memorial to Len Sassaman, a person basically immortalized within the blockchain itself. A becoming tribute in additional methods than one.”
In keeping with a write-up on Bitcoin.com, Leung’s first piece of circumstantial proof is the truth that Nakamoto stop the Bitcoin mission and left the group two months earlier than Sassaman handed away. Leung added that he was initially hesitant to take a position on Satoshi’s id, however one Craig Wright’s claims made him imagine the topic was essential.
Sassaman was an advocate for privateness. He gravitated in the direction of cryptography and protocol improvement. He was a PhD candidate at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium as a researcher with Pc Safety and Industrial Cryptography (COSIC) analysis group, led by Bart Preneel.
At 21, he additionally organised protests following the arrest of Russian programmer Dmitry Sklyarov. By 22, he already had the cryptography experience to construct the very foundations of Bitcoin, Bitcoin.com quotes the aforementioned examine.
He was married to pc scientist Meredith L. Patterson. The couple labored collectively on a number of analysis collaborations. Sassaman additionally labored with common Satoshi-suspect and now deceased Hal Finney.
‘Revisited subject’ after a fraudulent declare
“With Craig Wright fraudulently claiming credit score and invoking a copyright declare to take down the Bitcoin whitepaper,” Leung wrote, “It is essential we revisit the subject and recenter the dialogue across the cypherpunks who truly constructed Bitcoin.”
Bitcoin.com quotes the examine as saying that by the point Sassaman was 22, he already had the cryptography experience to construct the very foundations of Bitcoin. One other fascinating reality about Sassaman was that he labored with common Satoshi-suspect and now deceased Hal Finney.
Leung stated Sassaman and Finney had one sturdy commonality — growing nameless remailer know-how. Sassaman was the lead maintainer of Mixmaster nameless remailer code and Randseed remailer.
‘Nameless remailer’
In keeping with Bitcoin.com, an nameless remailer is much like a Bitcoin node, because it accepts messages and directions on how you can settle for, retailer, and ship them with out revealing the origination level. The Bitcoin blockchain, nevertheless, processes these actions in a pseudo-anonymous trend, making a BTC person as clear or as nameless as they want.
The creator additional argued: Bitcoin’s structure is similar to that of remailers.
Leung additionally exhibits proof of Sassaman collaborating with Blockstream CEO, Adam Again, when he listed him as a contributor to a analysis paper and in a Mixmaster memo, says Bitcoin.com.
Again has additionally been a suspect in Satoshi thriller, when a YouTube channel “Barely Social” printed a video referred to as “Unmasking Satoshi Nakamoto,” on Could 11, 2020. Leung’s report notes, at one time Again “urged that Satoshi may need been a remailer developer.”
“Not like many cypherpunks mentioned, we all know that Len made in depth pseudonymous contributions to the cypherpunk mailing listing by way of remailers,” Leung insisted.
Is Satoshi presumably an American tutorial who writes in British English?
The examine printed on February 21 additionally particulars how Sassaman grew to become a researcher and Ph.D. candidate at Pc Safety and Industrial Cryptography Analysis Group (COSIC). Leung notes, “Len’s Ph.D. advisor at COSIC was none aside from ‘father of digital forex’ David Chaum.”
Leung additionally mentions Sassaman’s relationship with Bittorrent creator Bram Cohen — they labored collectively on a mission referred to as Pynchon Gate.
In the meantime, through the interval (2008-2010), BTC was being developed and kick-started, Leung’s report notes that a couple of folks have assumed that Nakamoto was an instructional like Sassaman was throughout these years. “I believe he’s an instructional, perhaps a post-doc, perhaps a professor who simply doesn’t need the eye,” early Bitcoin developer Gavin Andresen stated at one time.
“Satoshi’s code contributions and feedback ramped up closely throughout summer time and winter break,” Leung emphasised.
Furthermore, as a result of Sassaman was positioned in Belgium throughout Bitcoin’s improvement, it additionally coincides with the opinion that Satoshi was in Europe growing Bitcoin. Latest research counsel Satoshi was creating the mission in London, writes Bitcoin.com.
“Surprisingly sufficient, Len used the exact same British English as Satoshi despite the fact that he was American,” Leung detailed. “Since COSIC was based mostly in Leuven, Len was dwelling in Belgium throughout Bitcoin’s improvement. That is salient on condition that quite a lot of information counsel that Satoshi was based mostly in Europe,” the examine explains.
Bitcoin.com, nevertheless, notes that Leung’s report, like different suspects and investigations, lacks actual arduous proof that might lead folks to determine Sassaman as Nakamoto.
