The quest to uncover the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous architect of bitcoin, continues with new revelations from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Dave Troy, a well-known investigative journalist, has x.com/davetroy/status/1828482999987384721″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener nofollow”>shared information obtained from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking all records relating to Satoshi Nakamoto held by the FBI at its headquarters, field offices, legal attachés, and other record-keeping facilities.
Does the FBI know who created bitcoin?
The FOIA request, as described by Troy on Social Network x, explicitly asked for “any and all records pertaining to Satoshi Nakamoto” under the FBI’s jurisdiction. This included documents that could classify Nakamoto as an individual, group, consortium, or government entity. The request emphasized the need to clarify whether the FBI had any information about Nakamoto, whether under his pseudonym or any real identity that could be linked to him.
“The purpose of my request is NOT focused on establishing the identity of ‘Satoshi Nakamoto,’ but rather to request any records the agency may possess on the subject of ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ as a subject. If the agency does not possess any records on the general subject of ‘Satoshi Nakamoto,’ either as a general subject or as a pseudonym for a person known to be deceased, please let me know,” Troy writes in the FOIA request.
In the response Troy shared, the FBI characterizes Nakamoto as a “third party.” This term is used in particular by U.S. intelligence agencies when referring to foreign nationals, suggesting deliberate ambiguity and indicating that the agency may possess relevant information but chooses not to disclose it.
“The FBI is sticking to their claim that “Satoshi Nakomoto,” the apocryphal creator of bitcoin, is a “third party,” an answer they typically give when asking about foreign nationals. This is *despite* clarifying and limiting my request,” Troy notes via x.
He also expressed concern about x's interpretation of his request, noting, “This suggests that a) the FBI believes it knows the identity of 'Satoshi Nakamoto' and will neither confirm nor deny having records, b) the FOIA office is confused and has not properly interpreted this very clearly written request.”
The FBI’s use of a “Glomar response,” which neither confirms nor denies the existence of records, deepens the mystery. This type of response is legally grounded in precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court, which allows agencies to avoid confirming the existence of records that, if they existed, would trigger significant national security or privacy implications.
On August 13, Troy had already revealed the FBI’s initial response to his query. In a post on x, Troy also received a “response from Glomar” to his request about Satoshi Nakamoto, which neither confirmed nor denied whether the agency held any records identifying the mysterious creator of bitcoin.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t an isolated incident of public attempts to identify Nakamoto through official channels. Motherboard writer Daniel Oberhaus ran into similar roadblocks in 2018 when he requested all internal emails containing Nakamoto’s name from both the FBI and the CIA. Like Troy, Oberhaus received a response from the CIA’s Glomar, which stated that it could neither confirm nor deny the existence of the requested documents — a tactic that preserves secrecy while preventing the disclosure of potentially sensitive information.
On the other hand, Eric Balchunas, ETF analyst at Bloomberg, x.com/EricBalchunas/status/1828449947030520094″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener nofollow”>Outstanding As of yesterday, via x, all US spot bitcoin ETFs now control roughly 921,540 btc, approaching Nakamoto’s own estimated holdings, believed to be around 1.1 million btc. “US spot bitcoin ETFs now hold 84% of the bitcoin held by Satoshi, and are on track to hold more and take the top spot by Halloween,” he commented.
At the time of writing, btc was trading at $59,173.
Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
