$BTC
The pioneering cypherpunk Adam Back, cited by Satoshi Nakamoto in the Bitcoin white paper, suggested that the pressure of quantum computing could reveal whether the pseudonymous creator of the blockchain is alive.
During an interview following a Q&A session at the “Satoshi Spritz” event in Turin on April 18, Back suggested that quantum computing could force Nakamoto to move his Bitcoin (BTC). This is because, according to Back, Bitcoin holders will be compelled to move their assets to addresses based on newer quantum-resistant signatures.
Back said that current quantum computers do not pose a credible threat to Bitcoin’s cryptography, but they likely will in the future. Back estimated that quantum computers could evolve to that level in “perhaps 20 years.”
When the threat becomes real, Back said the Bitcoin community will have to choose between disabling old and vulnerable addresses or allowing those funds to be stolen:
“If quantum computers are here, and people in universities and research labs have access, the network has the option to let people steal them or freeze them; disable the signature.”
Back hopes the community will choose the first option, forcing the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin to move his funds if he wants to avoid losing them.
