Long Secret Bitcoin Key About to be Revealed
A private key Bitcoin’s creator entrusted to several developers that activates the protocol's so-called "alert system" is about to be revealed.
Bookmaker accepts most crypto-currencies
"The alert system was a frequent source of misunderstanding about the security model and 'effective governance,'" well-known Bitcoin Core contributor Greg Maxwell wrote in a public email from September 2016.
Developers had long feared the key could get into the wrong hands, broadcasting false messages and potentially resulting in chaos.
"Folks, it's going to be an interesting show," Bitcoin Core contributor Bryan Bishop tweeted.
From CoinDesk.com:
The reveal is the final step to destroying the system. After Bitcoin Core developers released new code in 2016 without the alert system, in January 2017, a "final alert message" was broadcast, which – by law of the code – made that message unable to be overridden by any other messages in the future.
Still, the private key needs to be displayed publicly so there's no possibility of reputation attacks against those developers that hold it.
Bishop told CoinDesk he plans to release it soon, though he's not sure about the exact date.
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
