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A Deep Dive Into Satoshi’s 11-Year Old Bitcoin Genesis Block

03/01/2020 by Idelto Editor

11 years ago today, Satoshi Nakamoto launched the Bitcoin network at approximately 18:15:05 UTC and the world hasn’t been the same since. The Bitcoin blockchain came to life on January 3, 2009, and so far, more than 600,000 blocks have been mined into existence. Nakamoto’s genesis block is special and the hardcoded block has a few unique characteristics compared to the rest of the chain of blocks that followed.

Also Read: BTC’s Hashrate Touches 120 Exahash, But the Price Has Not Followed

The Genesis Block

This week the cryptocurrency community is celebrating the 11th anniversary of the Bitcoin network. Satoshi brought the network to the world two months after publishing the whitepaper on October 31, 2008. The launch of the Bitcoin blockchain started with a hardcoded block called the ‘genesis block’ or ‘block zero.’

The block is unique because it has a 50 BTC reward subsidy that can never be spent. Alternative coins that have copied Bitcoin’s framework also use a hardcoded block to start a new chain. Most early bitcoin blocks and the hash of the genesis block have two more leading hex zeroes. In addition to this characteristic, block zero has a message in the coinbase parameter, which represents a possible reminder of why the cryptocurrency was created. The genesis block’s message reads:

The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks

During the last 11 years, members of the crypto community have sent small fractions of BTC to the genesis block’s address. To date, block zero has 68.13 BTC, which is 18.13 BTC ($131,527) more than it originally started with. There are messages sent with the satoshis as well, as most transaction messages sent to block zero beg Bitcoin’s creator for money. Three people sent the address some funds today, and there’s been a number of satoshis sent to the address all week long. An interesting fact about the 18.13 BTC worth of outputs sent to block zero is that the funds can be spent, if Nakamoto still possesses the keys to the wallet address. Another interesting fact about the “bailout for banks” quote is that Satoshi added the statement twice into the codebase. When someone decrypts the original hexadecimal format, the “bailout for banks” quote is also written backward.

Seven-Day Theory

No one knows who Satoshi Nakamoto was, but many people believe that Bitcoin’s creator was a Microsoft user. Bitcoin version 0.1, the original Bitcoin codebase implementation, is written in the coding language C++ and blocks that were mined in the early days used a Windows GUI mining application. Nakamoto mined the first bitcoin blocks after block zero by leveraging a central processing unit (CPU), which is much less powerful than the warehouses filled with ASICs today. The network did not kick into gear right away and unlike today, with blocks processed roughly every 10 minutes, the subsequent block after the genesis block took six days. There are those that assume Bitcoin’s creator took a break between block zero and block one. Some say Nakamoto purposefully made it so the timeline was similar to the Bible’s Genesis tale when the earth was created in seven days.

Hal Finney was the first person to transact with BTC in coordination with Satoshi Nakamoto. The first transaction took place three days after block one and coins were sent to Hal Finney from block nine. Finney told the world a few days earlier he was “running Bitcoin” on Twitter on January 10, 2009. In addition to the very first transaction, Nakamoto had decided to send BTC to other network participants on the same day he sent funds to Finney. The veteran cryptographer Finney told the public in 2013 that he was the first person to mine Bitcoin alongside Nakamoto. “When Satoshi announced the first release of the software, I grabbed it right away — I think I was the first person besides Satoshi to run bitcoin,” explained Finney.

Nakamoto’s Pre-Release Source Code Tells a Story

While examining the first versions of the Bitcoin source code, which was a pre-code release prior to Jan. 3, 2009 distributed to bitcointalk.org member “Cryddit,” people have found some interesting details. The source code mentions certain terminology that crypto users did not know Nakamoto used at the time. For instance, he referred to the blockchain as a “timechain” and the words “bitcoin miner” can be found as well. The words “bitcoin miner” in the early code are meaningful to some individuals because Nakamoto never used that term within the original whitepaper.

Other intriguing words can be found in the early code like how Nakamoto referred to Bitcoin’s smaller units as “coin” (1,000,000) and “cent” (10,000) rather than today’s popular term “satoshis.” The source code also describes the “timechain” as “a tree-shaped structure starting with the genesis block at the root.” The pre-release Bitcoin code also contained early framework for an IRC Client, a peer-to-peer marketplace and a virtual poker game.

To a great number of people, Nakamoto’s code and initial Bitcoin launch on January 3 were the start of a monetary revolution. The software has sparked the idea that peer-to-peer and censorship-resistant money can exist, removed from governments, corporations, and any single entity. Bitcoin has also given birth to over 4,000 individual blockchain networks that have allowed transactions between global individuals across any border. The fact that the Bitcoin network and the protocol’s offspring continue to thrive today after 11 years is quite a milestone. Nakamoto’s creation has been a gift that keeps on giving.

What do you think about the 11-year anniversary of the genesis block and Satoshi Nakamoto’s infamous creation? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Image credits: Shutterstock, bitcointalk.org, cypherpunk mailing list, pre-release code, Twitter, Wiki Commons, Fair Use, and Pixabay.

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The post A Deep Dive Into Satoshi’s 11-Year Old Bitcoin Genesis Block appeared first on Bitcoin News.

Only 375 Days Left for McAfee’s $1M Bitcoin Price Wager

22/12/2019 by Idelto Editor

As the end of 2019 approaches, it means there will be one year left for John McAfee’s infamous wager that said the price per bitcoin would “reach $1,000,000 before the end of 2020.” If the forecast doesn’t come to fruition, he said that he would eat his family jewels on television. At the moment, the price of BTC is 95% below McAfee’s prediction.

Also Read: John McAfee Weighs in on Maximalism, Epstein’s Death, and ‘the Greatest Gift Since Fire’

John McAfee’s Infamous Bet

In 2017, John McAfee made a bet that the price of BTC would touch one million dollars before the end of 2020. The new year is less than 10 days away and BTC has a long way to go in order for McAfee to win his notorious wager. At the time of publication, the price per BTC at $7,400 per coin is 95.47% below the $1 million mark. The bet is well known throughout the cryptosphere because McAfee promised to indulge in an interesting endeavor on television. The 2020 U.S. presidential candidate promised to “eat” his genitals “on national television” if he loses. At the time, McAfee’s bet was lower as his target price was initially $500K per bitcoin. However, he upped the stakes to $1 million and insisted he would still perform the crazy act on TV if he is wrong.

Later in 2019, McAfee discussed his price prediction again when he told the public he was misquoted in regards to the technical terms of his wager. “Dec. 31, 2020, is not an exact date — Let’s all be clear again: I predicted Bitcoin would reach $1,000,000 before the end of 2020. That is not saying it will hit that price on that date,” McAfee explained in February. 2020 is fast approaching and McAfee has been on the run from U.S. authorities and living off the grid. He’s still super busy and launched a crypto trading multi-platform called ‘Magic’ and started a decentralized token exchange with no restrictions. McAfee recently caught up with news.Bitcoin.com during the first week of December and discussed a variety of subjects.

Price Tracking and Countdown Websites Dedicated to McAfee’s Wager

McAfee’s wager has sparked lots of conversations on social media and crypto forums but it’s also invoked a data analysis site called dickline.info. The website shows how far BTC has to go to reach McAfee’s predicted target. Right now the digital asset would have to climb at a rate of 0.484095526 % per day to get to the $1 million mark. The creators of the data website dedicated to McAfee’s wager do not dismiss the fact that it’s quite possible McAfee’s prediction could come to fruition. “Compared to the enormous price changes, half a percent does not sound like much to you — This is the magic of exponential growth,” the website states.

The website also lets users make their own price prediction and there’s a calculator that allows visitors to change parameters. In addition to dickline.info’s statistical information, there’s the countdown website dickening.com. The site is fully dedicated to the McAfee wager and it says there are 375 days left until the last day of 2020. The website also notes that the ‘Halvening’ will take place first and also explains that McAfee could be correct.

“Conversely, if bitcoin is worth one million dollars by that day, most of the world is going to feel like dicks for not listening,” the website states. At this time of year, thought leaders and crypto influencers are prone to make price predictions, but it’s likely most people will forget these forecasts. McAfee’s bet, on the other hand, will be remembered as people are eagerly tracking his prediction.

Do you think McAfee’s prediction could happen or do you think he will be forced to perform his stunt on TV? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Disclaimer: Price prediction articles are intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered trading advice. Neither Bitcoin.com nor the author is responsible for any losses or gains, as the ultimate decision to conduct a trade is made by the reader. Always remember that only those in possession of the private keys are in control of the “money.” BTC prices referenced in this article were recorded at 4:05 pm EST on December 22, 2019.

Image credits: Shutterstock, Twitter, Fair Use, Pixabay, dickening.com, and dickline.info.

Verify and track bitcoin cash transactions on our BCH Block Explorer, the best of its kind anywhere in the world. Also, keep up with your holdings, BCH, and other coins, on our market charts at markets.Bitcoin.com, another original and free service from Bitcoin.com.

The post Only 375 Days Left for McAfee’s $1M Bitcoin Price Wager appeared first on Bitcoin News.

Another Self-Proclaimed Satoshi Appears in the High Profile Bitcoin Lawsuit

24/07/2019 by Idelto Editor

A new filing has been submitted to the ongoing Kleiman v. Wright case stemming from a man who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto. The man, named Debo Jurgen Etienne Guido, has sent handwritten testimony to the Southern District of Florida courthouse asserting that he is the “genuine and only originator/creator” of the genesis block that started the Bitcoin network in 2009.

Also Read: Many Self-Proclaimed Bitcoin Inventors and Satoshi Clues Were Debunked in 2018

A Wild Satoshi Appears in the Kleiman v. Wright Lawsuit

The high profile billion-dollar bitcoin lawsuit continues this week as an interesting filing was submitted to the court on July 22. The lawsuit involves the family of the now-deceased David Kleiman and his multi-year business relationship with the self-proclaimed Bitcoin inventor Craig Wright. The Kleimans have accused Wright of manipulating David’s bitcoin inheritance and a vast amount of intellectual property. Florida court case Kleiman v. Wright (9:18-cv-80176) revolves around an alleged trust that purportedly holds 1 million BTC. However, on July 11, news.Bitcoin.com reported on the Kleiman estate’s witness, Dr. Matthew Edman, a cryptography expert who found a slew of discrepancies within Wright’s submitted evidence like document modification and other backdated materials. Following the testimony from Edman on Monday, July 22, another filing was submitted to the court which adds a new twist.

Debo Jurgen Etienne Guido claims he is Satoshi Nakamoto in a letter sent to the Florida courthouse. Debo also alleges that Craig Wright’s claims are bunk.

According to the filing, Debo Jurgen Etienne Guido, a man who resides in Belgium, has sent a written testimony to Judge Bruce Reinhart claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto. Debo’s handwritten letter contends that he was the inventor of the Bitcoin technology, the originator who initiated the genesis block, author of the whitepaper, and owner of the GMX.com email handle. The letter states:

I hereby testify, by written letter — I am the genuine and only originator/creator of the genesis block of the Bitcoin blockchain. I used the handle Satoshi Nakamoto and mail [email protected] to write and publish the whitepaper.

The handwritten letter sent to the courthouse and filed on July 22.

PGP Key 0x18C09E865EC948A1 Trust Signed by an Inner Circle and Distributed With Early Versions of Bitcoin

Debo also states that he generated the PGP key 0x18C09E865EC948A1 and he claims the key was trust signed by an inner circle of people. The self-proclaimed Bitcoin inventor has been telling the public he is Satoshi for quite some time now. Debo has used a Twitter account called @realsatoshin since 2015. For instance, before Debo’s letter was filed in court on July 4, 2019, he tweeted that his PGP key was trust signed by Hal Finney, Gavin Andresen, Peter Todd, and Wladimir van der Laan. Following Debo’s statements on Twitter, Bitcoin Core developer Wladimir van der Laan joined in on Debo’s Twitter thread and spoke about the key.

“There are no known messages signed by that key, but it was distributed along with early Bitcoin, so it could be Satoshi’s real key, but mind the uncertainty,” Wladimir van der Laan said responding to Debo’s key statements. “My signing it was a mistake about how GPG web of trust is supposed to work at the time, and I revoked it later,” BTC’s lead maintainer detailed.

The 0x18C09E865EC948A1 key was revoked on May 2, 2016, the same day that Gavin Andresen told the community that he witnessed proof from Craig Wright in London. Core developers revoked Andresen’s commit access to the Bitcoin Core (BTC) project as well.

Searching the PGP key database on the MIT servers shows that Debo’s key was tethered to the email address [email protected] and other emails with the Satoshi name in them. There are two specific dates that are associated with the key, which include Oct. 30, 2008, and Jan. 3, 2009. Those two dates represent the day before the whitepaper was published online on Halloween 2008, and the birth of the genesis block on Jan. 3. Like Wladimir van der Laan said in his tweet, the MIT server shows he did revoke the 0x18C09E865EC948A1 key on May 2, 2016, as the key was coincidently revoked the same day Gavin Andresen was removed as a Core maintainer.

Contacting Kleiman’s Lawyer and Debo’s Opposition to Sign With the Genesis Block

Debo’s letter to the Florida courthouse and Judge Reinhart emphasizes that he never had any contact with David Kleiman. The letter also insists that Craig Wright “has no single private key of my known PGP key on the genesis block.” “The man has no clue how the genesis block is composed as he did not mine the blocks assigned to the so-called whale wallet,” Debo’s letter asserts.

An alleged private conversation on Twitter between Debo and Kleiman attorney Vel Freedman.

Before the letter was sent to the courthouse Debo showed everyone on Twitter that he was sending the letter and he also showed that he was sending private messages to the Kleiman attorney Vel Freedman. “I have a strong feeling Mr. Kleiman is set up in a ‘Nigerian scam’ and I would like you to talk in full honesty with your client — to confirm they really are sure,” Debo wrote to the lawyer. The private message added:

Confirm that [Kleiman] really did talk with the real Satoshi Nakamoto — There were two Vistomail [email] accounts in place: Satoshin and Satoshi — Be aware of that. I used [email protected] Using the Patriot Act I suggest you ask for a full backup in Germany and you will notice the communication with Harold Finney is signed, sometimes encrypted with my known PGP key or subkey I do own — There is no way that Craig Wright has access to my private PGP key.

In another private message screenshot with Freedman, the attorney responds to Debo’s messages. “Mr. Debo, if you would sign a message with the genesis block to me, it would really assist my case.” Debo’s response to Freedman’s request indicated that the Belgium native is not willing to show his so-called proof until he is ready. Debo explained that when he signs the genesis block, he will then have to prepare to move to a safe place, which is something he’s not ready to do. He asked the lawyer why Freedman is asking him to sign, when he should be asking Craig Wright. “He should and could explain how he composed the genesis block — he could sign with my PGP key 0x18C09E865EC948A1 — [Ask Wright] why he created fake RSA keys not signed by Gavin, Wladimir, Pete Todd, and Hal Finney and uploaded [the keys] to the MIT PGP servers with forged dates.”

For the record. I also do remember some people did ask me to sign a #nonce way back in #2014 with my #keys. #satoshin

— Satoshi Nakamoto (@realSatoshiN) July 1, 2019

The Belgian Notary Office Registration and Debo’s Plans for the ‘Whale Wallet’

Then there’s the Quora website where Debo goes into great detail regarding his story and he explained that he registered the Bitcoin.pdf (whitepaper) before the date of publication on the internet at a Belgian Notary office. “This has legal consequences to prove authorship and copyright, since copyright is granted at creation, not at registration — But registration can be useful to prove the date of creation,” Debo claimed on June 13, 2019. There isn’t much information on the web concerning the Bitcoin.pdf registration in Belgium but Debo does have an invention (1011874A6) registered in 1998 for a scanner that digitizes the human fingerprint. On the Quora webpage, Debo declared:

I am the only man in the world who knows how the genesis block is made and composed — So far much speculation surrounds my identity. In fact, my identity is not that important because the project is decentralized and open source. Dorian Nakamoto was a victim of speculation but was quickly denied after I posted a message, “I am not Dorian…” Later on, Dr. Craig Wright did try (and still does) to impersonate me but the man has no single private key, and no access to my whale wallet.

This filed patent seems to be a digitized fingerprint scanner registered in Belgium by Debo Jurgen Etienne Guido between 1998-2000.

Debo went on to claim that he mined with Hal Finney the very first blocks in production and kept insisting that he owns a “whale wallet that is considerably large.” He said there is a purpose for the whale wallet and promised it would not affect the project itself and the markets. Debo assured that 93% of the [whale wallet’s] resources will be used for “innovation and improvement in general of humankind.” The whale wallet likely refers to the theory cryptocurrency enthusiasts held over the years, which assumes Satoshi Nakamoto mined – 700,000 to 1 million BTC. According to Debo, he plans to only keep about 7% of those funds for his own benefit. Debo also detailed that because he lived in Belgium, it is why he chose to use the German email service GMX at that time. He claimed that in Belgium he was also taught in school to write using a double space after periods and because he spent five years in the army he often wrote in plural form.

There’s no data stemming from the Florida court that shows whether Debo’s letter will be used against Wright, but it was filed with the court on Monday. Debo’s story is hard to believe for a variety of reasons. One of them is the fact that he’s been very open about his alleged involvement with the creation of Bitcoin for a while now. He tweets often about cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin-related headlines, while using an awful lot of hashtags per tweet. Debo’s current writing and English skills are not similar to Satoshi’s style shown in many letters and emails the creator wrote in the early days. Beside the PGP key, which doesn’t show much conclusive evidence, Debo’s story lacks a lot of proof and resembles the “Bitcoin Origins” story told by Phil Wilson, otherwise known as “Scronty.” Still, the July 22 filing indicates that the Florida court and the judges presiding over the Kleiman v. Wright case seem to believe the letter should be filed for a reason that’s currently unknown.

What do you think about the latest revelations with the Kleiman v. Wright lawsuit in Florida? Why do you think Debo would send a letter to the court claiming to be Satoshi? Do you think Debo’s story will have any effect on this lawsuit? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Image credits: Shutterstock, Bitcoin.com, Belgium Patent Office, Twitter, Kleiman v. Wright (9:18-cv-80176), and the MIT PGP server.

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The post Another Self-Proclaimed Satoshi Appears in the High Profile Bitcoin Lawsuit appeared first on Bitcoin News.

Expert Witness in Satoshi Case Claims Dr Wright’s Documents Were Doctored

11/07/2019 by Idelto Editor

Kleiman's Expert Witness Claims So-Called 'Bitcoin Inventor's' Documents Were Doctored

The Kleiman v. Wright case continues this week and a slew of new evidence has been submitted to the Southern District of Florida courthouse. A supplemental affidavit stemming from the Kleiman estate’s expert witness, Dr. Matthew Edman, indicates that documents submitted to the court as evidence were “modified” and “backdated.”

Also Read: Bitcoin Cash Scaling Benchmarks, Brewdog, and Rising Transaction Volume

Plaintiff’s Analysis of Documents Shows David Kleiman’s PGP Signature Was Created Almost a Year After He Died

A transcript of an affidavit was recently submitted to the Kleiman v. Wright (9:18-cv-80176) court case, which shows that an expert witness found many flaws within certain documents filed in the case. The billion-dollar bitcoin lawsuit is one of the most high profile court cases in the U.S. because it involves 1 million BTC and self-proclaimed ‘Bitcoin inventor’ Craig Wright. Since December 2015, the crypto community has endured Wright’s repeated claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto. However, nearly every claim and every so-called proof Wright has provided has been debunked by researchers, cryptographers, and the greater crypto community. Many of the refutations against Wright’s story accuse him of providing backdated documents and proofs that have been modified at a later date. From the very beginning of Wright’s entrance into the community, his story has been suspected of being a falsified tale or hoax. On December 9, 2015, Vice reporter Sarah Jeong detailed that the “PGP keys referenced in stories naming Craig Wright as the creator of Bitcoin were probably falsely backdated.”

Expert Witness in Satoshi Case Claims Dr Wright's Documents Were Doctored — **The set of keys that were reportedly “backdated and point to a hoax” according to Vice reporter Sarah Jeong, Motherboard staff writer Jordan Pearson, and Bitcoin Core developer Greg Maxwell.**

Fast forward to today and Craig Wright is being sued by Ira Kleiman, the brother of the now deceased David Kleiman, for allegedly interfering with David’s bitcoin assets and intellectual property after he died. The first filing shows the value of the assets the Kleiman family thinks David was screwed out of is around $5.1 billion before punitive or treble damages. This week, an affidavit was submitted to the court that shows the testimony of the Kleiman estate’s witness, Dr. Matthew Edman, a cryptography expert.

As other have mentioned, Bitmessage wasn’t even publicly available until November 12th 2012. Furthermore, the only visible address is a v4 address (as it begins with 2c) and those didn’t even exist until about mid-2013.

— Peter Šurda (@PeterSurda) July 4, 2019

According to Edman’s resume submitted to the court, he has a deep knowledge of digital forensics, applied cryptography, Shamir’s Secret Sharing Scheme, and cryptocurrencies. Edman’s testimony examines an email that was submitted to the court as “Exhibit A.” Edman declares under penalty of perjury that he believes Exhibit A was likely created from an email Wright sent to himself on or about April 16, 2014. The document was then “converted to a PDF and modified to appear to have been sent from ‘Dave Kleiman’ to Uyen Nguyen on or about December 20, 2012.” The expert’s testimony further states:

I also determined that Exhibit A contained a PGP signature allegedly created by Dave Kleiman on or about March 12, 2014 – almost a year after he died.

A Trend of Modifications

Edman states that he analyzed Exhibit A previously and further analysis and forensic artifacts contained within the PDF itself bolster his opinion. The digital forensics expert said that he also examined “Exhibit F” and concluded that the document was “created by further modifying Exhibit A to make it appear as if Exhibit F is actually a separate email sent from Dave Kleiman to Uyen Nguyen.” “In my opinion, it is simply another revision to the PDF created from an email the defendant sent to himself on or about April 16, 2014,” Edman emphasized in his testimony. The witness’s affidavit declares that both Exhibit A and Exhibit F appear to be emails sent from David to Uyen Nguyen back in 2012, but “manipulations of a PDF created from an email” indicate that Wright sent it to himself in the spring of 2014. Edman noted that he understands that Exhibit A was withdrawn from the court because Wright could not “verify the date of that email exchange,” but to his knowledge Exhibit F was not withdrawn.

Edman goes on to explain that the metadata tied to the first exhibit’s PDF shows that it was created on or about April 17, 2014. The creator used the Acrobat PDF Maker 11 for Microsoft Outlook and Edman highlights that the computer’s time zone was consistent with Sydney, Australia (UTC+10) and then modified again five minutes later. Further analysis of the internal contents and structure of the document identified specific portions of the PDF were edited and revised. He further determined that Exhibit F was also comprised of modifications to the date field and revisions to the body of the document as well. Speaking on Exhibit A’s analysis Kleiman’s expert witness explained:

I identified a “TouchUp_TextEdit” marked-content point in the PDF file associated with Exhibit A which indicated that the text associated with the “From:”, “To:”, and “Date:” fields at the top of Exhibit A were edited.

The crypto community has not been kind about the latest documents and Edman’s affidavit has been shared widely across social media mocking Wright. The attorney Stephen Palley who often comments on cryptocurrency related lawsuits stated “you can’t really attack [Edman’s] credentials and the analysis looks sound.” “You have to show an alternative explanation — they should settle,” Palley added. The public will still hear from Wright’s expert witnesses which include Brett Roberson, Kevin Madura, and Nchain’s CTO Steve Shadders.

In addition to the court case drama last week, news.Bitcoin.com reported that Martti Malmi said on Twitter that he might take action against Wright for accusing him of starting the “Silk Road, Hydra and a number of other darker websites.” “Taking a closer look to the transcript, Craig Wright is accusing me and Theymos of soliciting drug trade, assassinations, terrorism and child porn — That is too much to be ignored,” Malmi told the public. Following the accusations against Malmi, the owner of Bitcointalk.org, Theymos, also refuted Wright’s court claims against him stemming from the June 28 transcript. “I was made a forum admin in 2011 after Satoshi left,” Theymos insisted.

“I never had any interaction with CSW — CSW’s whole shtick is to just lie constantly,” the forum moderator conceded. “He’s so brazen about it that some people think, ‘there must be some truth there,’ but really it’s 100% nonsense.”

What do you think about the Kleiman v. Wright lawsuit involving billions of dollars worth of bitcoin? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Image credits: Shutterstock, Courtlistener, Twitter, Florida Case Kleiman v. Wright (9:18-cv-80176), Vice, and Pixabay.

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The post Expert Witness in Satoshi Case Claims Dr Wright’s Documents Were Doctored appeared first on Bitcoin News.

Experts Dissect Craig Wright’s ‘Satoshi’ Testimony and Court Documents

08/07/2019 by Idelto Editor

Experts Dissect Craig Wright's So-Called 'Satoshi' Testimony and Court Documents

Last week, Craig Wright, the man who claims he’s Satoshi Nakamoto, appeared in court and testified why he did not have access to his public bitcoin addresses and trust information. Since then a lot of new evidence has been submitted to the court and members of the crypto community have dissected Wright’s recent testimony and the newly filed documentation.

Also Read: Bitcoin Cash Scaling Benchmarks, Brewdog, and Rising Transaction Volume

The $5 Billion Dollar Bitcoin Lawsuit Continues to Unfold

For years now, Australian native Craig Wright has told the public that he invented Bitcoin and tried to submit evidence to prove that he is who he says he is. However, a great number of cryptography experts and well known bitcoiners have discredited nearly all of his claims to the point where individuals have called him a fraud. The Kleiman v. Wright case involves the now deceased Florida computer forensics expert Dave Kleiman.

The reason David is involved is because much of the evidence provided to the court involves Kleiman and Wright’s multi-year business relationship. After David passed away, allegedly Wright reached out to the family and explained to them that he and David were involved with the creation of Bitcoin and how they both mined large amounts of bitcoin during the early years. Now, Ira Kleiman, on behalf of David’s estate, is accusing Wright of interfering with David’s bitcoin assets and intellectual property after he died. The Kleiman estate’s complaint reads:

This matter concerns the rightful ownership of hundreds of thousands of bitcoins and the valuable intellectual property rights of various blockchain technologies. As of the date of filing, the value of these assets far exceed $5,118,266,427.50 USD (before punitive or treble damages).

The court case started in February 2018 and involves billions of dollars worth of BTC that allegedly exist in a blind trust called the “Tulip Trust.” Kleiman’s litigation team have asked Wright to produce bitcoin addresses and trust information, but so far the plaintiff’s counsel say he has failed to comply. The hearing on June 28 was held to understand why Wright and his attorneys believe he should not be held in contempt for failing to produce what the court has ordered him to procure.

When Wright was asked why he hasn’t provided a list of the public addresses to the plaintiffs, he explained that “there are no public addresses in the Bitcoin system.” Wright insisted to the court that public addresses “don’t exist” and claimed there are no public addresses at all in Bitcoin. “Bitcoin was derived such that a key would only be used once — And if you look at the section in the whitepaper, later on, it states that as an additional firewall, keys should not be reused,” Wright responded.

Accusations Aimed at the Creator of Bitcoin.org

When Wright was asked if he was familiar with the Bitcoin system, he said that he was familiar with the system he created and he claims to have “used the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto” during this time. Again, Wright was then asked whether he could provide the public addresses at the hearing. “If I could, I would have not given the first 70 addresses — I would have given every other address,” Wright responded further. “The first 70 addresses associate me as Satoshi — I did not want to be associated with Satoshi.” Wright was then asked to explain why he stopped acting as the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto and he claimed that it all started after the creation of Bitcoin.org. Wright then went on to accuse Martti Malmi and Theymos of starting the “Silk Road, Hydra and a number of other darker websites” along with Ross Ulbricht. Wright’s testimony stated that these websites and forums were created to foster drug sales, weapons, child pornography, and assassination markets.

Apparently CSW has claimed in court that I cofounded Silk Road and worked “to allow assassination markets”. For the record: that is obviously a made up accusation. https://t.co/lAdFhsLoHH

— Martti Malmi (@marttimalmi) July 6, 2019

After reading the transcript, early Bitcoin developer Martti Malmi went on record and said Wright’s claims were “obviously made up accusations.” During the tweet thread, at first Malmi said he was leaning toward not responding back with a libel and defamation lawsuit. It seems Malmi hasn’t made up his mind, however, and from further comments, he may retaliate against these accusations.

“Then again, would be good to see justice served and him not getting away with outright slander,” Malmi explained. The former Bitcoin developer stated:

Taking a closer look to the transcript, Craig Wright is accusing me and Theymos of soliciting drug trade, assassinations, terrorism and child porn — That is too much to be ignored. I want to thank everyone for the support I’ve received and I’ve already got some suggestions about where to start, but recommendations for good lawyers, etc. are welcome.

Wizsec Dissects Wright’s Testimony and Alleged Forgeries

After Wright’s transcript was published, Bitcoin security specialists Wizsec analyzed his testimony and found many flaws. Wizsec discussed how Kleiman’s lawyer had focused on an email produced by Wright in discovery that allegedly is a forgery. The email is a PDF that was purportedly sent by David Kleiman on June 24, 2011. Kleiman’s lawyer presented the PDF and explained that even though it says it was created in July 2011, the software used to write the metadata in the document stems from software that had not launched until the summer of 2012.

Experts Dissect Craig Wright's 'Satoshi' Testimony and Court Documents — **Submitted evidence in the Kleiman v. Wright docket.**

Moreover, Wizsec’s analysis says that the PDF document at the very least must have been modified somehow at some point. “Indeed the PDF metadata lists a modification date of October 22, 2014, which Wright himself identifies — Wright denies modifying the PDF at that time,” Wizsec writes. Kleiman’s lawyer noted that the PDF contained a string of code that further suggested the document was modified at some point. Then Wright claimed the Kleiman counsel submitted a forgery and tossed the document in the air and the judge gave him a warning.

“All the evidence presented by the plaintiff raise significant doubts as to the authenticity of this supposed email from Dave Kleiman,” Wizsec’s research notes. “No legitimate document should show this many signs of manipulation, and even if Wright denies that he forged anything, all of this is hurting the credibility of any other documents Wright’s side has submitted, if not Wright’s own credibility.”

Following the email discussion, Kleiman’s lawyer then discussed a PDF called the deed of trust. According to the transcript, the plaintiff’s forensics expert extracted metadata from the PDF which shows it was embedded with the Calibri font created in 2015. But Wright and even some of his dedicated followers believe that the Calibri font got an update and any PDF would pick up the new font after the fact.

Indeed, many of Wright’s fans have dismissed all of the claims against him and even Wright himself is attempting to sue certain people for calling him a fraud. One Wright supporter on Twitter has been tracking all of the negative comments against Wright on the social media platform. “If you’re spreading lies on Twitter, you better hope your opsec is the best and you have lawyers on retainer,” the user warned. Meanwhile, there are many bitcoiners assessing the court drama and have rebuked all of Wright’s documents and claims of being Satoshi. Adding more insult to injury, this week an unidentified person bought the domain name Loser.com allegedly for $21,000 and the website now directs to Craig Steven Wright’s Wikipedia page.

Just published Proof-of-Perjury? on Medium. Kleiman v. Craig Wright case https://t.co/MqKDGZyCuR

— SeekingSatoshi (@jimmy007forsure) July 7, 2019

The Court’s Verdict Could Come Soon

During the hearing, Kleiman’s attorney continued to ask Wright about a slew of documents that were seemingly modified at a later date, an email that Wright allegedly sent to himself, and a bunch of other document discrepancies. In addition to Wizsec’s examination, Daniel Kelman, an attorney who often discusses cryptocurrency cases, also wrote an extremely detailed post about Wright’s latest testimony. Kelman said that Wright fully understands how to produce public addresses and the court order was very clear. However, in his opinion Wright failed to produce the addresses and comply with the order and did so “willfully,” Kelman emphasized. The attorney at law said there will be a second hearing later this summer and he expects the other witnesses to be heard and more discussions in regard to certain technical exhibits.

“After this hearing, the court will issue its verdict — As discussed previously, this could result in fines or a six-month incarceration for Wright,” Kelman wrote. “The court can issue a default judgment to Kleiman or can issue the lesser remedy of preventing Wright from contesting these matters, which would all but hand the case to Kleiman.” The lawyer continued:

Based on Wright’s performance at the June 28 hearing and the court has already established grounds for contempt against him, I don’t see this going in Wright’s favor.

The Kleiman v Wright case could end soon, but the court still needs to hear from Wright’s expert witnesses including Brett Roberson, Kevin Madura, and Nchain developer Steve Shadders. The date for this proceeding has not been chosen yet, but reportedly both parties must appear in court before Judge Beth Bloom on July 10. So far there’s been a lot of evidence against Wright’s claims and documents submitted to the court as well as the crypto community’s continued grievances against him.

Wizsec and others have discredited Wright’s technical explanations many times in the past and continue to believe he has lied many times and obfuscated his story by using “technobabble.” “Word salad is not meant to help a less technical audience understand, but to keep it from understanding or questioning,” Wizsec’s analysis detailed. The paper concludes:

This is a basic scammer’s trick; the “con” in con artist stands for confidence, after all — Keeping an open mind is nice and all, but that requires active critical thinking and that you do your own research properly so you don’t get taken advantage of. If someone has been caught lying 999 times, you’re not obligated to keep an open mind for number one thousand.

What do you think about the Kleiman v. Wright lawsuit involving billions of dollars worth of bitcoin? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Feel like you missed something? Check out our full coverage of the Kleiman v. Wright case here:

Craig “Satoshi” Wright Sued for Billions
Craig Wright Shrugs Off Plagiarism Accusations
Judge Denies Craig Wright’s Motion to Dismiss Billion-Dollar Bitcoin Lawsuit
Jeff Garzik Subpoenaed in Kleiman Bitcoin Lawsuit Against Craig Wright
Kleiman Estate Says Satoshi Reveal ‘Is Relevant’ in Billion Dollar Bitcoin Lawsuit
Uyen T Nguyen: The Powerful Young Woman Behind the Alleged ‘Satoshi Affair’
Self-Styled Satoshi Accused of PGP Forgery in Kleiman vs Wright Lawsuit
Craig Wright Ordered to Produce a List of Early Bitcoin Addresses in Kleiman Lawsuit
Blockchain Researchers Mock Craig Wright’s Unsealed Bitcoin Address List
The Blind Trust Described in the Kleiman vs. Wright Lawsuit Is a Real Head-Scratcher
Judge Orders Craig Wright to Appear in Florida Lawsuit
Kleiman Attorney: ‘Craig Wright Hasn’t Complied With the Order to List His Bitcoin’
Craig Wright Intends to Call Three Expert Witnesses to His Evidentiary Hearing
Bitcoin ‘Inventor’ Craig Wright Claims He Can’t Access Coins in Court Testimony

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