Adam Back 'Not Satoshi,' Says Mail List Admin—And We're Still Not Listening

The Satoshi Nakamoto identity speculation machine churns on, and this time around, Adam Back finds himself in the hot seat. But hold up—Perry E. Metzger, who managed the cryptography mailing list where Bitcoin's creator first posted, has some thoughts. And they're not what the Satoshi truthers want to hear.

Metzger, who knows the names on that list pretty well, said it "doesn't seem likely" that Back is our guy. Apparently, Back is just the latest addition to what Metzger describes as a "long list of names that many journalists had incorrectly identified as 'definite Satoshi' in the past." Classic.

But Metzger isn't just here to burst bubbles—he's genuinely worried about the consequences of these baseless accusations. "Pointing fingers at someone could lead to that person facing risks such as their family being kidnapped for the rest of their life," he warned. "They could become targets for wealth they don't actually possess."

That's a rough deal—becoming a suspected billionaire without the actual billionaire lifestyle. No Lambo, no aping into shitcoins, just vibes and plausible deniability.

Metzger also made the point that Satoshi hasn't exactly been wreaking havoc on the world. The pseudonymous creator hasn't moved their Bitcoin holdings and has consciously chosen to stay anonymous. Shocker: maybe we should respect that? But respect doesn't generate engagement, so here we are, still hunting.

He also called out the harassment the family of Hal Finney faced—Finney, the legendary cypherpunk