Dorian Nakamoto, the man Newsweek claims is the creator of the digital cryptocurrency Bitcoin, denied being the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto once again.
In a statement issued on Monday by his newly hired lawyer, Ethan Kirschner, Nakamoto said he "did not create, invent or otherwise work on Bitcoin." The 64-year-old went one step further than his previous denial, adding that he doesn't know anything about cryptography, something experts believe he would have needed to create Bitcoin.
See also: The Great He-Said, She-Said Game of the True Bitcoin Creator
"I have no knowledge of nor have I ever worked on cryptography, peer to peer systems, or alternative currencies," Nakamoto wrote in the statement, first reported by The Los Angeles Times.
Cryptography experts like Ed Felten, a professor of computer science at Princeton University, have doubted the Newsweek report on the grounds that the article doesn't prove, or even allege, that Dorian Nakamoto has any background in cryptography.
"The real Satoshi was obviously conversant with crypto — the Bitcoin design shows it, and the fluency of the crypto discussion in the paper tells us that Satoshi was well acquainted with the jargon and literature of the field," Felten wrote in a blog post on March 11. "Newsweek doesn’t offer any evidence that Dorian knew crypto."
In the statement, Nakamoto again claimed he first heard of the word Bitcoin when his son called him in mid-February, after talking to a reporter. Nakamoto clarified that he "never consented to speak with the reporter" when Newsweek's Leah McGrath Goodman confronted him in front of his house. That's when Nakamoto uttered the key quote in Newsweek's story: "I am no longer involved in that and I cannot discuss it."
Nakamoto even added that he can't even afford to pay for his Internet connection, which he discontinued in 2013 "due to severe financial distress."
Afte "Newsweek’s false report," Nakamoto said the media attention he has received in the last couple of weeks "has been the source of a great deal of confusion and stress for myself, my 93-year old mother, my siblings, and their families." And he also added that his "prospects for gainful employment have been harmed because of Newsweek’s article."
For all these reasons, he is asking everyone to leave him alone.
"This will be our last public statement on this matter. I ask that you now respect our privacy," he concluded.
Contacted by the Los Angeles Times, Nakamoto's lawyer Kirschner confirmed they won't comment any further on this story.
Here's Nakamoto's full statement.
My name is Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto. I am the subject of the Newsweek story on Bitcoin. I am writing this statement to clear my name.
I did not create, invent or otherwise work on Bitcoin. I unconditionally deny the Newsweek report.
The first time I heard the term “bitcoin” was from my son in mid-February 2014. After being contacted by a reporter, my son called me and used the word, which I had never before heard. Shortly thereafter, the reporter confronted me at my home. I called the police. I never consented to speak with the reporter. In an ensuing discussion with a reporter from the Associated Press, I called the technology “bitcom.” I was still unfamiliar with the term.
My background is in engineering. I also have 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.
I have not been able to find steady work as an engineer or programmer for ten years. I have worked as a laborer, polltaker, and substitute teacher. I discontinued my internet service in 2013 due to severe financial distress. I am trying to recover from prostate surgery in October 2012 and a stroke I suffered in October of 2013. My prospects for gainful employment has been harmed because of Newsweek’s article.
Newsweek’s false report has been the source of a great deal of confusion and stress for myself, my 93-year old mother, my siblings, and their families. I offer my sincerest thanks to those people in the United States and around the world who have offered me their support. I have retained legal counsel. This will be our last public statement on this matter. I ask that you now respect our privacy.
Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto
Temple City, California
March 17, 2014
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