I saved Bitcoin and the PERFECT DRAFT OF HISTORY, says Assange

Julian Assange has alleged that Bitcoin “founder” Satoshi Nakamoto asked WikiLeaks not to use the cryptocurrency as a means of raising funds, for fear of attracting unwanted attention. The allegation surfaced in a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session Assange conducted to promote a new book. In that session he offers this …

[Aslan]

So hubris from Assange and a bit of overdramitic reporting from The Register,

especially in the headlines, both expected. (I enjoy the Register's headlines and humor. They can be too harsh, but I wouldn't change them.)

“Bitcoin's real innovation is a globally verifiable proof publishing at a certain time. The whole system is built on that concept and many other systems can also be built on it." That quote is very much true, the blockchain is a mathematical concept with which any number of new things may be built, including a system for recording and resolving contracts. Forgive me I can't properly explain it, but if you do some research on the matter you'll find it so, and I'm sure the Bitcoin evangelists will be along shortly. Bitcoin already offers provable gambling, again look it up. Admittedly I didn't work the numbers out myself, but everything felt right.

Bitcoin is worth getting excited about because of the differences and possibilities, but in the end it's one more thing, not the thing.

[Charles Manning]

Vitamin D

Required for healthy brain function.

Assange is desperate to get himself relevant. Even jumping in the sack with Dotcom.

[Vociferous]

The world's most famous albino psychopath says dumb sh!t.

More news at ten.

[PCS]

Ladies and gentlemen. The ego has landed.

[Otto is a bear.]

I predict the second comming

In other news, Julian Assange has been reborn, sadly he is still Julian Assange.

[jrog]

The Register really needs to tone down its anti-Assange bias. A five-second Google search would bring up many results of the exact quote Assange mentioned.

https://www.google.com/search?q=%22I+make+this+appeal+to+WikiLeaks+not+to+try+to+use+Bitcoin.%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb

[gazthejourno]

And your point, because I'm sure you have one?

[wikkity]

RE: tone down its anti-Assange bias

Personally, I'd like to see it toned up to 11.

[Uffish]

Book promotion...

.. is usually part of the book contract; he's got to say something that will get him headlines - and it worked!

Good for Assange, he probably wanted to make a bit of money so he wrote a book and got it published. George W. Bush and many other slightly less than perfect people have done the same thing.

[ElReg!comments!Pierre]

Re: Book promotion...

True except for the bit about Bush. I'm pretty sure he never wrote a book. Proof: the book is not written upside down

[Winkypop]

Sorry, you lost me at....

"Julian Assange has alleged..."

[OffBeatMammal]

Re: Sorry, you lost me at....

they lost me at "Julian Assange..."

[Old Handle]

I thought this was well known. I knew it anyway. I'm sure you could have simply got in touch with the Bitcoin Foundation to verify it rather than using this strange "allegation" phrasing.

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't see why there's much of a reason to question the rationale. The reasoning seems sound and logical, given the context. I probably would have made the same call.