World?s Biggest Bitcoin Wallet - GoFuckYourself.com

wehateporn · 12-19-2013, 05:09 AM

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise.../?cid=15955134

"Who owns the single largest Bitcoin wallet on the internet? The U.S. government.

In September, the FBI shut down the Silk Road online drug marketplace, and it started seizing bitcoins belonging to the Dread Pirate Roberts ? the operator of the illicit online marketplace, who they say is an American man named Ross Ulbricht.

The seizure sparked an ongoing public discussion about the future of Bitcoin, the world?s most popular digital currency, but it had an unforeseen side-effect: It made the FBI the holder of the world?s biggest Bitcoin wallet.

The FBI now controls more than 144,000 bitcoins that reside at a bitcoin address that consolidates much of the seized Silk Road bitcoins. Those 144,000 bitcoins are worth close to $100 million at Tuesday?s exchange rates. Another address, containing Silk Road funds seized earlier by the FBI, contains nearly 30,000 bitcoins ($20 million).

That doesn?t make the FBI the world?s largest bitcoin holder. This honor is thought to belong to bitcoin?s shadowy inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, who is estimated to have mined 1 million bitcoins in the currency?s early days. His stash is spread across many wallets. But it does put the federal agency ahead of the Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who in July said that they?d cornered about 1 percent of all bitcoins (there are 12 million bitcoins in circulation).

In the fun house world of bitcoin tracking, it?s hard to say anything for certain. But it is safe to say that there are new players in the Bitcoin world ? although not as many people are buying bitcoins as one might guess from all of the media attention.

Satoshi stores his wealth in a large number of bitcoin addresses, most of them holding just 50 bitcoins. It?s a bit of a logistical nightmare, but most savvy Bitcoin investors spread out their bitcoins across multiple wallets. That way if they lose the key to one of them or get hacked, all is not lost.

?It?s easier to keep track of one address, but it?s also most risky that way,? says Andrew Rennhack, the operator of the Bitcoin Rich List, a website that tracks the top addresses in the world of bitcoin.

According to Rennhack, the size of the bitcoin universe has expanded over the past year, but the total number of people on the planet who hold at least one bitcoin is actually pretty small ? less than a quarter-million people. Today, there are 246,377 bitcoin addresses with at least one bitcoin in them, he says. And many people keep their bitcoins in more than one address. A year ago, that number was 159,916, he says.

Although some assume that the largest Bitcoin addresses are held by bitcoin dinosaurs ? miners who got into the game early on, when it was easy to rack up thousands of bitcoins with a single general-purpose computer ? almost all of the top 10 bitcoin addresses do not fit that profile, says Sarah Meiklejohn, a University of California, San Diego, graduate student.

She took a look at how many transactions in these wallets seemed to match the profile of early-day miners and found that only one of them really fit the bill.

The rest seem to belong to what Meiklejohn calls Bitcoin?s ?nouveau riche?: People who are accumulating bitcoins from non-mining sources. ?What you?re seeing is this influx of a different kind of wealth,? she says.

Because most bitcoin addresses haven?t been publicly identified ? like the FBI?s ? it?s hard to say exactly makes up the new Bitcoin top 10. Meiklejohn says that they?re likely to include wallets created by up-and-coming Bitcoin exchanges or businesses. One of them is the wallet that?s thought to contain 96,000 bitcoins stolen from the Silk-Road successor, Sheep Marketplace."

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise.../?cid=15955134

nexcom28 · 12-19-2013, 05:24 AM

Ha, I saw this the other day. Interesting to think that they could just auction it off like any other asset claimed.
Also funny when you see all the beggers on blockchain asking for coins.

bloggerz · 12-19-2013, 05:50 AM

serious bidness

lyno · 12-19-2013, 06:25 AM

The Chinese will buy all of them

http://fiatleak.com/

Maybe the USA could use those BTC to reduce their debt with China, at least a little bit?

.

slapass · 12-19-2013, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lyno

The Chinese will buy all of them

http://fiatleak.com/

Maybe the USA could use those BTC to reduce their debt with China, at least a little bit?

.

The map is great. What do the Chinese do with them now though that they can't sell them for $$$?

lyno · 12-19-2013, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slapass

The map is great. What do the Chinese do with them now though that they can't sell them for $$$?

Wasn't the rumour that the Chinese still can sell BTC but no longer are allowed to buy?

.

seeandsee · 12-19-2013, 08:02 AM

bc will rise when people pump money in

postalsex · 12-19-2013, 09:42 AM

they might just destroy it as they do with illegal substances seized. in their head bitcoin is not really an asset and helps illegal activities. I doubt they can do anything with it or put it back on the market

MikeOMania · 12-19-2013, 09:48 AM

Didn't know that...

12-19-2013, 05:09 AM	#1
wehateporn Promoting Debate on GFY Industry Role: Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 27,173	World?s Biggest Bitcoin Wallet http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise.../?cid=15955134 "Who owns the single largest Bitcoin wallet on the internet? The U.S. government. In September, the FBI shut down the Silk Road online drug marketplace, and it started seizing bitcoins belonging to the Dread Pirate Roberts ? the operator of the illicit online marketplace, who they say is an American man named Ross Ulbricht. The seizure sparked an ongoing public discussion about the future of Bitcoin, the world?s most popular digital currency, but it had an unforeseen side-effect: It made the FBI the holder of the world?s biggest Bitcoin wallet. The FBI now controls more than 144,000 bitcoins that reside at a bitcoin address that consolidates much of the seized Silk Road bitcoins. Those 144,000 bitcoins are worth close to $100 million at Tuesday?s exchange rates. Another address, containing Silk Road funds seized earlier by the FBI, contains nearly 30,000 bitcoins ($20 million). That doesn?t make the FBI the world?s largest bitcoin holder. This honor is thought to belong to bitcoin?s shadowy inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, who is estimated to have mined 1 million bitcoins in the currency?s early days. His stash is spread across many wallets. But it does put the federal agency ahead of the Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who in July said that they?d cornered about 1 percent of all bitcoins (there are 12 million bitcoins in circulation). In the fun house world of bitcoin tracking, it?s hard to say anything for certain. But it is safe to say that there are new players in the Bitcoin world ? although not as many people are buying bitcoins as one might guess from all of the media attention. Satoshi stores his wealth in a large number of bitcoin addresses, most of them holding just 50 bitcoins. It?s a bit of a logistical nightmare, but most savvy Bitcoin investors spread out their bitcoins across multiple wallets. That way if they lose the key to one of them or get hacked, all is not lost. ?It?s easier to keep track of one address, but it?s also most risky that way,? says Andrew Rennhack, the operator of the Bitcoin Rich List, a website that tracks the top addresses in the world of bitcoin. According to Rennhack, the size of the bitcoin universe has expanded over the past year, but the total number of people on the planet who hold at least one bitcoin is actually pretty small ? less than a quarter-million people. Today, there are 246,377 bitcoin addresses with at least one bitcoin in them, he says. And many people keep their bitcoins in more than one address. A year ago, that number was 159,916, he says. Although some assume that the largest Bitcoin addresses are held by bitcoin dinosaurs ? miners who got into the game early on, when it was easy to rack up thousands of bitcoins with a single general-purpose computer ? almost all of the top 10 bitcoin addresses do not fit that profile, says Sarah Meiklejohn, a University of California, San Diego, graduate student. She took a look at how many transactions in these wallets seemed to match the profile of early-day miners and found that only one of them really fit the bill. The rest seem to belong to what Meiklejohn calls Bitcoin?s ?nouveau riche?: People who are accumulating bitcoins from non-mining sources. ?What you?re seeing is this influx of a different kind of wealth,? she says. Because most bitcoin addresses haven?t been publicly identified ? like the FBI?s ? it?s hard to say exactly makes up the new Bitcoin top 10. Meiklejohn says that they?re likely to include wallets created by up-and-coming Bitcoin exchanges or businesses. One of them is the wallet that?s thought to contain 96,000 bitcoins stolen from the Silk-Road successor, Sheep Marketplace." http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise.../?cid=15955134 __________________ Sexy Girls Teasing

12-19-2013, 05:50 AM	#3
bloggerz Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 16,256	serious bidness __________________ I SELL ADULT BACKLINKS! Email: eroticweb>gmail SKYPE: gfybloggerz $$$$$ MAKE HUGE MONEY IN CAMS - CLICK HERE $$$$$

12-19-2013, 08:02 AM	#7
seeandsee Check SIG! Industry Role: Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Europe (Skype: gojkoas) Posts: 50,945	bc will rise when people pump money in __________________ BUY MY SIG - 50$/Year Contact here

12-19-2013, 05:24 AM	#2
nexcom28 So Fucking Banned Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 3,716	Ha, I saw this the other day. Interesting to think that they could just auction it off like any other asset claimed. Also funny when you see all the beggers on blockchain asking for coins.

12-19-2013, 06:25 AM	#4
lyno Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: May 2003 Location: On my way to Sirius1 Posts: 474	The Chinese will buy all of them http://fiatleak.com/ Maybe the USA could use those BTC to reduce their debt with China, at least a little bit? .

12-19-2013, 09:42 AM	#8
postalsex Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 400	they might just destroy it as they do with illegal substances seized. in their head bitcoin is not really an asset and helps illegal activities. I doubt they can do anything with it or put it back on the market

12-19-2013, 09:48 AM	#9
MikeOMania Registered User Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 40	Didn't know that...