Andresen Denies Hacking as GitHub Access Limited

Amid speculation surrounding Dr. Craig Wright’s claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, Core developer Gavin Andresen has lost his Bitcoin commit privileges on GitHub.

Also read: Industry Heavy Hitters Reveal the ‘Real Satoshi’ 

Andresen: ‘I have not been hacked’

Andresen earlier released a blog entry stating his belief that Wright is the man behind the Satoshi Nakamoto pseudonym, which caused immediate controversy, with many suspecting Andresen had been hacked.

Meanwhile, Andresen himself has spoken out in the past hour during a speech at Consensus 2016 to dispel myths that his account was hacked.

“Craig Wright is Satoshi Nakamoto, and I have not been hacked,” he is reported to have said.

"Craig Wright is Satoshi Nakamoto, and I have not been hacked." –@gavinandresen at #Consensus2016 pic.twitter.com/19tSymegKN

— Bitcoin News (@BTCTN) May 2, 2016

Andresen’s ability to access Bitcoin’s structure has been limited, a move which has unleashed fresh controversy as to the motives of the party or parties who took the action.

The latest debate has already drawn in senior Bitcoin personalities such as Peter Todd, who following the commit move tweeted:

FYI, @gavinandresen's commit access just got removed – Core team members are concerned that he may have been hacked. https://t.co/7re7z16TeR

— Peter Todd (@petertoddbtc) May 2, 2016

Bruce Fenton suggested in response to Todd that Andresen had been the victim of a hoax, rather than a full hack.

@petertoddbtc @gavinandresen He was not hacked, possibly victim of a hoax, but not hacked… will access be reinstated?

— Bruce Fenton (@brucefenton) May 2, 2016

Todd’s argument that Bitcoin Core members limited Andresen’s access due to hacking fears stems from the language used in his blog post announcing support for Dr. Wright as Bitcoin’s creator.

“I believe Craig Steven Wright is the person who invented Bitcoin,” the post opens. “… After spending time with him [at a meeting in London last month], I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt: Craig Wright is Satoshi.”

The post sparked considerable controversy throughout the Bitcoin community, with pundits and experts alike attempting to examine the technical clues in order to determine the authenticity of the post and the information contained within it.

Double Controversy

While certain parties suspect the post was a result of hacking, others suspect fowl play on the part of Wright.

“The signature in Wright’s post [here] is just pulled straight from a transaction on the blockchain,” user mappum wrote on YCombinator forum.

“[…] Now the only question is how he fooled Gavin. I would imagine this story will still get spread around some naive channels for a while, just like the last time Wright tried something like this.”

Andresen also published an explanation on Reddit regarding Wright’s claims.

“Craig signed a message that I chose (“Gavin’s favorite number is eleven. CSW” if I recall correctly) using the private key from block number 1,” he wrote. “That signature was copied on to a clean usb stick I brought with me to London…”

As further details continue to emerge from Andresen himself during Consensus 2016, it is likely a clear explanation behind Wright’s claims and Andresen’s status will be a long time in the making.

What do you think about Andresen’s claims and why his privileges were revoked? Get involved in the comments below!

Images courtesy of www.ibtimes.co.uk, www.newsweek.com

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