Bitcoin advocate Nic Carter has reiterated his support for the theory that the United States National Security Agency (NSA) played a role in the creation of Bitcoin. The theory was revived when screenshots of a 1996 paper titled “How to Make a Mint: The Cryptography of Anonymous Electronic Cash” were shared on social media. The paper, which discusses a Bitcoin-like system, was prepared by NSA employees.
Carter, a partner at Castle Island Ventures, has long held this theory and refers to it as the “Bitcoin lab leak hypothesis.” He believes that Bitcoin was initially an internal research and development project at the NSA that was secretly released by a researcher. Carter acknowledges the existence of circumstantial evidence that supports this theory.
However, Carter is quick to clarify that this theory does not imply that the United States government has control over Bitcoin. Another theory that often accompanies the Bitcoin/NSA conspiracy is that the NSA created a backdoor to the Bitcoin code. Carter suggests that in his version of the theory, the researcher released Bitcoin without the permission of the NSA to preserve their anonymity.
Some users have pointed out the similarity between the name Tatsuaki Okamoto, a cryptography academic listed in the 1996 paper, and Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. While Carter acknowledges this coincidence, he does not consider it a critical part of the theory.
Matthew Pines, director of intelligence at cybersecurity firm Krebs Stamos, believes that Bitcoin may have been a result of collaboration between NSA crypto experts and cypherpunks, but not officially sanctioned by the NSA.
Former Goldman Sachs executive Raoul Pal also has his theory, suggesting that the US and UK governments, specifically the NSA and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), invented Bitcoin.
However, former NSA cryptanalyst Jeff Man, in an interview with Cointelegraph, stated that while it is theoretically possible for the NSA to have created Bitcoin for intelligence gathering, it is highly unlikely. Man also suggests that even if they did, the truth may never be revealed until it becomes irrelevant.
In conclusion, the theory that the NSA had a hand in the creation of Bitcoin continues to generate discussion among cryptocurrency enthusiasts and experts. While there is circumstantial evidence and intriguing coincidences, the truth behind Bitcoin’s origins remains elusive.
