‘Verified Satoshi’ Handle on X Triggers Debate Among Bitcoin Circles, Elon Musk Called to Act

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On the social media platform X (formally Twitter), an account created in 2018 is causing a lot of uproar as the account is called “@satoshi,” and has a verified check mark confirming its identity. A few bitcoin influencers have called on Elon Musk to remove the account’s checkmark, and others, including a Community Notes post, suggested the account is associated with the Australian Craig Wright.

A Tangled Tale of Crypto-Identity — ‘Satoshi’ Account Stirs Controversy on X Platform

This week, an account with the handle “@satoshi,” has sparked discussion in bitcoin and crypto circles. The account, created in May 2018, posted for the first time on October 2, 2023, since its last post recorded on October 31, 2018. The account itself has a blue checkmark, follows no one, and has more than 75,000 followers. The X post published on Monday said:

Bitcoin is a predicate machine. Over the following months, we shall explore different aspects that were not explicitly contained within the white paper. These aspects are all parts of bitcoin, and are important. Some of these ideas were touched upon in the early years; now is the time to extrapolate and explain.

The post on October 31, 2018, nearly five years ago, was a thread that contains the white paper written within the 280-character limit for each post. The post published this week on October 2, has a Community Notes fact-check attached to it that says, “This isn’t the real Satoshi Nakamoto, creator of Bitcoin. It’s an account related to Craig Wright, who claims to be Satoshi with no material proof.”

The Community Notes fact-check includes a few cited sources, one being a social media post from Christen Ager-Hanssen, the former Nchain Group CEO. Ager-Hanssen recently posted on X that he doesn’t believe Wright, Nchain’s chief scientist, is Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin.

Regarding the @satoshi X account, Ager-Hanssen said, “Isn’t it a coincidence that @satoshi account is used during this time when I expose Craig? That account has been taken over by Craig. The previous owner is a Craig Wright fanboy [Andy Rowe]. Don’t be fooled guys.” Ager-Hanssen also shared a screenshot of Rowe posting about managing the account in 2018. On June 1, 2018, Rowe posted:

I curate quotes from Satoshi Nakamoto at @satoshi. AMA!

Following the @satoshi tweet, several people expressed disdain for the account. “CSW drivel – ignore,” Nic Carter posted in reply to the account’s latest statement. The account called Pledditor urged X owner Elon Musk to have check marks removed from the account and the X account @bitcoin. “Hey [Elon Musk], the @bitcoin and @satoshi accounts are in breach of your terms of service for using ‘misleading and deceptive’ identities.”

Outlining the rules of the social media platform, Pledditor wrote that one can’t misappropriate someone else’s identity without disclosing it’s a parody account. “It’s no different than making a fake ‘Tesla’ or ‘Elon Musk’ account,” the account added. The @satoshi account tweeted about the criticism it received since its tweet.

“Bitcoin was created for everyone,” the account wrote. “The next halving is an important predicted occurrence when transaction fees are meant to start to supplant the mining subsidy. There are many who do not want you to know the truth. It is not that they want to silence this account. They want to silence you. 2024 is the year of the Dragon.” This specific X post also contains a Community Notes fact-check attached to it.

The Community Notes tethered to that post says:

Readers added context they thought people might want to know: Craig Wright claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, but has been proven to be a fraud. He controls this account and it should not be trusted.

What do you think about the @satoshi X account? Share your thoughts and opinions about this subject in the comments section below.