The early Saipanpanku Adambak quoted by Nakamoto at in the Bitcoin whitepaper suggested that Quantum Computing pressure could reveal whether blockchain pseudonym creators are alive.
In an interview after a Q&A session at the “Sato Sys Pretz” event in Turin on April 18th, Buck suggested that quantum computing could force Nakamoto to move Bitcoin (BTC). That’s because, according to Buck, Bitcoin holders are forced to move their assets to a newer, resistant, signature-based address.
Buck said that while current quantum computers do not pose a reliable threat to Bitcoin encryption, they are likely to threaten it in the future. Buck estimated that quantum computers could evolve to that extent in “probably 20 years.”
Related: Bitcoin’s quantum resistance fork is inevitable – it is the only opportunity to fix node incentives
Once the threat comes true, Buck said the Bitcoin community must choose to blame old and vulnerable addresses or to stolen those funds.
“If Quantum Computers is here and people in the university or lab have access, the network is choosing to steal people, freeze them, or criticize them for signatures.”
Buck hopes the community will go along with its previous options and forces the bitcoin pseudonym creators to move their funds if they want to avoid losing them.
Privacy upgrades can complicate evidence
Still, Buck said whether such circumstances reveal whether Nakamoto at is alive or not also depends on Bitcoin’s future privacy features.
“It’s a bit dependent on technology. There are some research ideas that can add privacy to Bitcoin,” Buck said. “So there may be a way to fix the quantum problem while maintaining privacy.”
Related: Lawyer sues to investigate a rally on Nakamoto Satojima, where the US home is expected
Still, not everyone is sure that such a scenario will reveal whether Nakamoto is alive or not, whether it is an enhanced privacy or not. An anonymous early Bitcoin Miner and a member of the Bitcoin community told Cointelgraf that he did not expect Nakamoto coins to move.
“Even if he’s alive and has private keys, I don’t think he’ll move them. I want to expect him to make the community decide based on how he’s been acting up to now.”
He added that it makes sense to let the community decide because this is a controversial choice. He said he was surprised when Nakamoto came out of woodworking to move his assets.
Quantum Resistant Bitcoin
Buck explained that most quantum tolerance signature implementations are either not proven from a security perspective or are very expensive from a data perspective. He cited Lamport Signatures as an old and proven design, but pointed out that they weigh dozens of kilobytes.
As a result, he suggested that Bitcoin should be prepared to switch to quantum-resistant signatures, but that only happens when necessary. He proposed a taproot-based implementation of Bitcoin, allowing addresses to be switched to quantum-resistant signatures if necessary.
Magazine: Bitcoin vs. Quantum Computer Threats: Timelines and Solutions (2025–2035)
