Nic Carter’s ‘Bitcoin Lab Leak’ Theory Gains Traction
In the ever-evolving realm of cryptocurrency, few debates have captured the imagination of enthusiasts and sceptics alike, quite like the question of Bitcoin’s origins. A theory that has resurfaced time and again over the past decade suggests that the United States National Security Agency (NSA) played a pivotal role in the creation of Bitcoin. Bitcoin advocate Nic Carter recently added fresh fuel to this smouldering conspiracy theory, reigniting the debate.
The theory, often called the “NSA created Bitcoin” theory, gained renewed attention when Iris Energy co-founder Daniel Roberts unearthed a 1996 research paper titled “How to Make a Mint: The Cryptography of Anonymous Electronic Cash.” The intriguing aspect of this paper is its authorship; it was allegedly “prepared by NSA employees.” Notably, one of the contributors to the report was Tatsuaki Okamoto, a cryptography expert renowned for co-inventing the Okamoto–Uchiyama public key cryptosystem in 1998.
The NSA invented Bitcoin?
1996 paper titled: HOW TO MAKE A MINT: THE CRYPTOGRAPHY OF ANONYMOUS ELECTRONIC CASH*
Sources include "Tatsuaki Okamoto" 😳
Who else would be able to sit anonymously on 1 million coins.
The paper delves into the concept of electronic cash, a system eerily similar to Bitcoin. It elucidates the use of public-key cryptography to facilitate anonymous transactions without disclosing the participants’ true identities. This paper, written two years before Bitcoin’s purported inception by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008, has ignited speculation about the NSA’s involvement in the cryptocurrency’s genesis.
On September 21, Nic Carter, a partner at Castle Island Ventures and a vocal Bitcoin advocate, lent credence to this theory by affirming his belief in it. Carter dubbed it the “Bitcoin lab leak hypothesis,” suggesting that Bitcoin might have originated as a covert internal research and development project within the NSA. He posits that one researcher, recognising the groundbreaking potential of Bitcoin, may have clandestinely released it into the world.
I actually do believe this. I call it the bitcoin lab leak hypothesis. I think it was a shuttered internal R&D project which one researcher thought was too good to lay fallow on the shelf and chose to secretly release https://t.co/qXJkQTciSK
Carter’s conviction in this theory dates back to at least 2020 when he mused about Bitcoin as a “monetary bioweapon” possibly created by NSA cryptographers. He pondered whether Bitcoin’s code had somehow escaped the confines of the NSA, akin to a virus running from a laboratory. In 2021, he quipped that “the only decent thing the NSA ever did for the world was let Bitcoin leak from the lab.” However, he firmly maintains that this doesn’t imply the US government’s covert control over all Bitcoin or the existence of a backdoor in the Bitcoin code created by the NSA.
In Carter’s version of the theory, the researcher behind Bitcoin’s creation acted independently, without NSA authorisation, and opted to leave the digital coins in circulation, preserving their anonymity. He insists that numerous pieces of circumstantial evidence support this intriguing hypothesis.
Interestingly, some proponents of the theory have also drawn attention to a curious connection between Tatsuaki Okamoto, one of the contributors to the 1996 NSA paper, and Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. The resemblance in the names has led to speculation that Nakamoto might have drawn inspiration from Okamoto’s work. Carter, however, downplays this connection, considering it a less critical aspect of the theory.
Matthew Pines, the intelligence director at cybersecurity firm Krebs Stamos, adds another layer to the intrigue. He suggests that Bitcoin’s creation might have resulted from a “cross-fertilisation” between NSA cryptography experts and cypherpunk enthusiasts. While he suspects that Satoshi Nakamoto or Nakamoto’s close intellectual collaborators might have had NSA affiliations, he doesn’t believe that Bitcoin or its white paper received official sanction from the agency.
Former Goldman Sachs executive Raoul Pal has also weighed in on the debate. He posits that the NSA and the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) could be the clandestine creators of Bitcoin, given their prominent roles in cryptography. This alternative perspective adds to the complexity of the conspiracy theory.
Despite these compelling speculations and the theory’s persistence, it’s essential to maintain a healthy degree of scepticism. Jeff Man, a former NSA cryptanalyst, has commented on the feasibility of the NSA’s involvement in creating Bitcoin as a means of intelligence gathering. While he deems it “feasible,” he also asserts that uncovering the truth behind Bitcoin’s origins may remain an elusive endeavour, especially as time passes and the significance of the revelation diminishes.
In the world of cryptocurrency, where anonymity and decentralisation reign supreme, the origins of Bitcoin continue to be shrouded in mystery. Whether the NSA played a covert role in the cryptocurrency’s creation or was the brainchild of an anonymous figure named Satoshi Nakamoto, one thing remains certain: Bitcoin’s enigmatic beginnings continue to fascinate and captivate the imaginations of enthusiasts and sceptics alike.
