Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto revealed to be Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright

For some time, the person who created the cryptocurrency Bitcoin has been known as Satoshi Nakamoto. We know that was nothing more than a pseudonym, and now Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright has revealed that he is the man behind the mask.

It brings to an end years of speculation about the inventor's real identity, and Wright has been able to provide technical proof to the BBC to back up his claims. The IT and security consultant's home was raided in recent days as part of an investigation by the Australian Tax Office, and documents leaked from the inquiries pointed towards Wright. He has now confirmed his identity.

To verify his claims, in a meeting with the BBC Wright used cryptographic keys known to be linked to Bitcoins mined by Satoshi Nakamoto to sign messages. His identity has also been confirmed by other people from the Bitcoin development team and community. While not everyone has been convinced by the unmasking, Gavin Andresen from Bitcoin Foundation writes in a blog post that "I believe Craig Steven Wright is the person who invented Bitcoin".

There has been endless debate about the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, and Wright sought to bring this speculation to an end by revealing himself to the BBC, GQ and the Economist. It is not the first time Wright has been linked with Bitcoin, as Wired and Gizmodo obtained documents late last year which they claimed linked him to the cryptocurrency.

But Wright is not seeking to step into the limelight -- far from it. He said:

I have not done this because it is what I wanted. It's not because of my choice. I really do not want to be the public face of anything. I would rather not do it. I want to work, I want to keep doing what I want to do. I don't want money. I don't want fame. I don't want adoration. I just want to be left alone.

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