Adam Back
{{Short description|British cryptographer and cypherpunk (born 1970)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox scientist
|name = Adam Back
|image = Adam Back 2014.jpg
|image_size =
|caption =
|birth_date = {{birth year and age|1970|7}}
|birth_place = London, England, UK
|fields = {{Plainlist|
}}
|workplaces = {{ubl|Zero-Knowledge Systems|Pi Corporation|Blockstream}}
|education = University of Exeter
|thesis_title = Parallelization of general purpose programs using optimistic techniques from parallel discrete event simulation
|thesis_url = https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/pdf/a986a2a9a99528fe012f025b47d7e710cdf90d46
|thesis_year = 1995
|doctoral_advisor = Stephen Turner
|website = {{URL|cypherspace.org/adam}}
}}
Adam Back (born July 1970) is a British cryptographer and cypherpunk. He is the CEO of Blockstream, which he co-founded in 2014. He invented Hashcash, which is used in the bitcoin mining process.
Life
Back was born in London, England, in July 1970.{{Cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=3ZGNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT252 |title= The Bitcoin Saga: A Mixed Montage |publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2019|isbn= 978-9388271837 |last1= Singh |first1= Rachna }} His first computer was a Sinclair ZX81. He taught himself Basic, and spent his time reverse engineering video games, finding decryption keys in software packages. He completed his A levels in advanced mathematics, physics, and economics.{{cn|date=October 2024}}
He has a computer science PhD in distributed systems from the University of Exeter.{{cite news |last1= Kharif |first1= Olga |title= Latest Satoshi Nakamoto Candidate Buying Bitcoin No Matter What|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-02/latest-satoshi-nakamoto-candidate-buying-bitcoin-no-matter-what |access-date=3 June 2020 |newspaper=Bloomberg|date=2 June 2020}} During his PhD, Back worked with compilers to make use of parallel computers in a semi automated way. He became interested in PGP encryption, electronic cash and remailers. He spent two thirds of his time working with encryption. After graduation, Back spent his career as a consultant in start ups and larger companies in applied cryptography, writing cryptographic libraries, designing, reviewing and breaking other people's cryptographic protocols.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEaulpPo7iM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/qEaulpPo7iM |archive-date=2021-12-15|url-status=live|title=Proof of Work - An interview with Adam Back (Blockstream)|website=YouTube |date=7 August 2019 }}{{cbignore}}
Cryptography software
File:Munitions T-shirt (front).jpg
Back is a pioneer of early digital asset research similar to Wei Dai, David Chaum, and Hal Finney.{{cite news |last1= Leising |first1= Matthew |title= Is Bitcoin Creator Writing a Book? Cryptic Note Indicates Yes|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-30/is-bitcoin-creator-writing-a-book-cryptic-note-indicates-yes|access-date=13 May 2020 |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=30 June 2018}}{{cite news |last1= Bustillos |first1= Maria |title= Inside the Fight Over Bitcoin's Future|url=https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/inside-the-fight-over-bitcoins-future|access-date=13 May 2020 |newspaper=New Yorker |date=25 August 2015}} In 1997, Back invented Hashcash.{{Cite book|title=Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies: A Comprehensive Introduction|last1=Narayanan|first1=Arvind|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2016|isbn=978-0-691-17169-2|location=Princeton and Oxford |last2=Bonneau |first2=Joseph |last3=Felten |first3=Edward |last4=Miller |first4=Andrew |last5=Goldfeder |first5=Steven}} A similar system is used in Bitcoin.{{cite news |last1= Shaw |first1= Jessica Marmor |title= Bitcoin and cryptocurrency on Twitter: The most important people to follow|url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/bitcoin-and-cryptocurrency-on-twitter-the-most-important-people-to-follow-2017-12-04|access-date=14 May 2020 |newspaper=Marketwatch |date=8 January 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf|title=Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System}}{{cite news |last1= Casey |first1= Michael J. |title= BitBeat: Bitcoin Coding Allstars Launch Sidechains Project to Boost Innovation|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/10/22/bitbeat-bitcoin-coding-allstars-launch-sidechains-project-to-boost-innovation/ |access-date=14 May 2020 |newspaper=WSJBlogs |date=22 October 2020}}
He also implemented credlib,{{Cite book|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=htliCAAAQBAJ&pg=PT274 |title= Bitcoin: The future of money? |publisher=Unbound|year=2015|isbn= 978-1783521029 |chapter=Footnotes|last1= Frisby|first1= Dominic }}{{better source needed|reason=source is self published|date=June 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cypherspace.org/credlib|title=credlib - Credential Library|publisher=cypherspace.org}}{{better source needed|reason=source not independent|date=June 2020}} a library that implements the credential systems of Stefan Brands and David Chaum.
He was the first to describe the "non-interactive forward secrecy"{{cite web |title= A Modern View on Forward Security |url= https://eprint.iacr.org/2019/1362.pdf |publisher=IACR|access-date=14 May 2020 |last=Boyd |first=Colin}}{{cite web |title= Two remarks on public key cryptology |url= https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/techreports/UCAM-CL-TR-549.pdf |publisher=Cambridge University|year=2002|access-date=14 May 2020 |last= Anderson |first= Ross }}{{cite web|url=http://www.cypherspace.org/adam/nifs/|title=Non-Interactive Forward Secrecy|publisher=cypherspace.org}} security property for email and to observe that any identity-based encryption scheme can be used to provide non-interactive forward secrecy.
He is also known for promoting the use of ultra-compact code with his 2-line{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EfjZBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA200 |title= Data Privacy and Security|publisher= Springer |year=2003|isbn= 9781441918161 |page=200|chapter=Secure Programming with Perl|last1= Salomon |first1= David }} and 3-line RSA in Perl{{Cite book|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=HhQqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA17 |title= Blocks and Chains: Introduction to Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies, and Their Consensus Mechanisms (Synthesis Lectures on Information Security, Privacy, and Tru)|last2= Stifter |first2= Nicholas |publisher= Morgan & Claypool Publishers|year=2017|isbn= 9781627057165 |page=17|chapter=Before bitcoin|last1= Judmayer |first1= Aljosha }}{{cite web|url=http://www.cypherspace.org/adam/rsa/|title=export-a-crypto-system sig|publisher=cypherspace.org}}{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=URH7CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA366 |title= Software Security Technologies|publisher= Cengage Learning |year=2007|isbn= 9781428319455 |page=366|chapter=Secure Programming with Perl|last1= Sinn |first1= Richard }} signature file and non-exportable T-shirts{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iepc2h-1nUgC&pg=PA49 |title= Burdens of Proof: Cryptographic Culture and Evidence Law in the Age of Electronic Documents |publisher= MIT Press |year=2012|isbn= 978-0262017510 |page=50|chapter=On the brink of revolution|last1= Blanchette |first1= Jean-François }}{{cite web|url=http://www.cypherspace.org/adam/uk-shirt.html|title=Munitions T-shirt|publisher=cypherspace.org}} to protest cryptography export regulations.{{Cite book|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=D8iXDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA97 |title= Digital Cash: The Unknown History of the Anarchists, Utopians, and Technologists Who Created Cryptocurrency |publisher= Princeton Press |year=2019|isbn= 9780691179490 |page=97|chapter=On the brink of revolution|last1= Brunton |first1= Finn }}
Back was one of the first two people to receive an email from Satoshi Nakamoto.{{cite news |last1= RATLIFF|first1= EVAN |title= Was Bitcoin Created by This International Drug Dealer? Maybe! |url=https://www.wired.com/story/was-bitcoin-created-by-this-international-drug-dealer-maybe/|access-date=13 May 2020 |newspaper=Wired |date=16 July 2019}} In 2016, the Financial Times cited Back as a potential Nakamoto candidate, along with Nick Szabo and Hal Finney.{{cite news |last1= Kaminska |first1= Izabella |title= Bitcoin: Identity crisis|url=https://www.ft.com/content/769cc516-1370-11e6-839f-2922947098f0|access-date=4 June 2020 |newspaper=Financial Times |date=7 May 2016}} Craig Wright had sued Back for stating that Wright was not Nakamoto, with Wright subsequently dropping the suit. In 2020, the YouTube channel Barely Sociable claimed that Back is Nakamoto. Back subsequently denied this.{{Cite web |last=Kharif |first=Olga |date=2 June 2020 |title=Latest Satoshi Nakamoto Candidate Buying Bitcoin No Matter What |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-02/latest-satoshi-nakamoto-candidate-buying-bitcoin-no-matter-what |access-date=2 June 2020 |website=Bloomberg News}}
Back has promoted the use of satellites and mesh networks to broadcast and receive bitcoin transactions, as a backup for the traditional internet.{{cite news |last1= del Castillo|first1= Michael |title= Who Needs Verizon? Blockstream Broadcasts Entire Bitcoin Blockchain From Space|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2018/12/17/who-needs-verizon-blockstream-broadcasts-entire-bitcoin-blockchain-from-space/#5456f1db5a80|access-date=13 May 2020 |newspaper=Forbes |date=17 December 2018}}
Business career
On 3 October 2016, Back was appointed as CEO of Blockstream.Blockstream (3 October 2016). "[https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blockstream-appoints-hashcash-inventor-dr-adam-back-as-ceo-300337815.html Blockstream Appoints Hashcash Inventor Dr. Adam Back as CEO]". PR News Wire. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.cypherspace.org/adam/}}
{{Bitcoin}}
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Category:Alumni of the University of Exeter
Category:British cryptographers