Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Bitcoin is a U.S. intelligence surveillance tool, well-followed Beijing-based high school history teacher and YouTuber Jiang Xueqin says. "[Bitcoin] is a CIA operation," Jiang, better known as "Professor Jiang," said on an episode of the "Jack Neel" podcast released on April 15. Jiang cited the technical expertise required to develop blockchain technology and its transparency, which make it suited for surveillance. Only U.S. intelligence agencies, such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Security Agency and the CIA, fit the bill, he said.
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• See What AI Could Build for Your Portfolio — Try a Custom Index Now Jiang dismissed the notion that someone or a group of people worked on Bitcoin in the shadows and gave the technology away for free. "It does sound a little ridiculous," he said. Jiang has broken into the limelight after predicting that President Donald Trump would win the 2024 election and go to war with Iran. However, he has also said that the internet and social media are U.S. government tools for control and surveillance, labeling tech founders like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Sam Altman as fronts. The theory that Bitcoin is a CIA tool predates Jiang’s remarks on the "Jack Neel" podcast. The theory has circulated for years, driven by translations of the name "Satoshi Nakamoto," the pseudonym of Bitcoin’s mysterious creator, as central intelligence. Jiang also cited this definition on the podcast. Trending: Traders Are Flocking to Direxion ETFs — Targeting Tesla and Elon Musk's Market Moves Jiang’s remarks come as fascination with Nakamoto’s identity has grown in recent years, spurring everything from documentaries to movies. The most recent attempt to unmask Nakamoto was a New York Times report that pointed to British cryptographer and OG Bitcoiner Adam Back, largely based on stylographic findings. Back has denied the claim. One factor driving fascination with Nakamoto’s identity is that they would be among the richest people in the world if alive. The Bitcoin creator is linked to an estimated 1.1 million BTC, most recently worth nearly $86 billion. None of these coins has moved since they disappeared from the online space in 2011. As debates around Bitcoin's origins and role in the financial system continue to surface, many investors are focused less on competing theories and more on how to access different parts of the market within a single portfolio. Platforms like Public allow users to invest in stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies in one place, offering a way to diversify exposure across traditional and digital assets through a single investing account.