Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto first bought Netcoin.org

• A crypto locksmith identified as “Or Weinberger” has made a profound discovery about a decision that could have given Bitcoin a different name.

• Or Weinberger further confirmed that no content was published on Netcoin.org until it was repurchased by another person.

Bitcoin has nearly satisfied its purpose of eliminating middlemen from transactions and improving financial democracy. More than a decade since its emergence, the asset has been attractive to millions of users worldwide and still dominates the total value share of the crypto market. Interestingly, a crypto locksmith identified as “Or Weinberger” has made a profound discovery about a decision that could have given the asset a different name. 

On Aug. 18, 2008, Bitcoin.org, the domain linked to Bitcoin, was registered by Satoshi Nakamoto under AnonymousSpeech, a Japan-based service that allows users to purchase domains anonymously. Interestingly, it has been observed that he also purchased a domain called Netcoin.org under AnonymousSpeech on Aug.17, 2008.

Did you know? A day before the https://t.co/oDfOFzFVNi domain was first registered, someone purchased https://t.co/KLzoDxJjrz using the same registrar. Looks like Satoshi was contemplating between the two names and later dropped https://t.co/KLzoDxJjrz#Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/yqwZYRefvX

— Or Weinberger (@orweinberger) September 23, 2022

Or Weinberger further confirmed that no content was published on Netcoin.org until it was repurchased by another person. Later, it was deleted and reregistered in 2010 to a subsidiary of Web.com according to the report. 

I’ve discovered this by looking at all domains purchased around the same time by AnonymousSpeech. It’s truly amazing that you can still reveal new information on such a researched subject.

This could be hard for self-acclaimed Bitcoin founders

Some users have raised questions on this regarding how the registrar was able to purchase the domain anonymously back then and whether he used someone’s credit card to avoid leaving traces. 

Or Weinberger replied:

AnonymousSpeech at the time would receive either a wire to a Swiss bank account (belonging to Michael Weber who owned AS) or E-gold if I remember correctly. Later on, in 2013, I believe they’ve added #Bitcoin as a payment option.

The reaction to this discovery points to the fact that the success of the asset is partly due to its name. Most members in the crypto community have expressed their dislike of the name Netcoin. 

While Satoshi remains anonymous, several individuals have claimed to be the Bitcoin creator including Australian computer scientist Craig Wright. In 2015, he claimed to be Satoshi with some pieces of evidence including the early drafts of Nakamoto’s 2008 paper proposing the asset. Digital forensics specialists KPMG have found several discrepancies in Wright’s claims. This includes a 2008 date on a document showing that Wright had researched “Nakamoto” before the publication of the whitepaper. However, it was observed that this was tampered with.

Weinberger’s discovery also makes it difficult for Wright to make a huge case for his argument.