The Impact Of Money Electric Documentary Film: The Bitcoin Mystery, Peter Todd Must Hide From Threats

Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo; Doc. Bit2me)

JAKARTA The former Bitcoin developer, Peter Todd, admitted that he had to hide due to the threats and harassment he received after appearing in a documentary suggesting that he might be Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. The documentary film, released by HBO, entitled Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, presents the results of three years of investigations trying to reveal Satoshi Nakamoto's identity. The film highlights Todd as one of the potential candidates behind the mysterious pseudonym, although Todd firmly denies the allegations.

In an interview with Wired, Todd revealed that this accusation has changed his life. He often receives threats and requests for money from various parties who believe he is the creator of Bitcoin, which is thought to have great wealth. "So far, [this] only a group of people are asking for money," said Todd. This kind of threat, according to him, is not only difficult, but also endangers his safety.

Todd explained that these false claims have the potential to put people in great danger. "Precisely claiming that ordinary people with modest wealth have enormous assets putting them at risk such as robbery or kidnapping. It's not just a stupid question, but it's also dangerous. Satoshi obviously doesn't want to be found, and there's a very good reason for that," Todd said.

He also criticized the film for feeling cheated regarding the focus of the documentary film. Todd claims that before the film was shown, he was not given clear information about the direction and content of the documentary. After the release, he felt that his involvement had been misinterpreted and that the film relied too much on conspiracy theories and overestimated the existing evidence.

The director of the film "Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery", Cullen Hoback, defended the documentary he worked on on on the grounds that identifying who Satoshi Nakamoto really is something important for crypto history. He said that his documentary aims to reveal the truth behind Bitcoin, which is currently one of the most influential financial technologies in the world.

On the other hand, the wider crypto community shows mixed reactions. Some people think that Satoshi Nakamoto's identity should indeed be left a mystery, given the huge impact that could have had if someone was wrongly identified as Satoshi.

Peter Todd is not the only figure in the crypto community ever accused of being Satoshi Nakamoto. Several other big names, such as Nick Szabo, Hal Finney, and Adam Back, have also experienced the same thing. However, just like Todd, they all denied the allegations.