A tech blogger has discovered that the “Bitcoin Whitepaper” is hidden on every Mac device that has been upgraded to run the MacOS operating system since 2018.
A person or group writing under the name Satoshi Nakamoto, whose real identity was never established, wrote the Bitcoin Whitepaper in 2008. Along with explaining how the cryptocurrency functions, the paper goes into great length on the motivations for its creation. It has thus become a crucial text for individuals who support Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general.
That could be the explanation for why it was ostensibly secretly introduced to the software, most likely by a MacOS engineer. Anyone may access it by searching the files for a tool named “Virtual Scanner II” to open it. It appears that the document was uploaded as a sample file for that tool, and it could have only been a brief but helpful document to use as an example.
Top-secret paper
Blogger and technologist Andy Baio discovered the top-secret paper. He observed that despite the file being in the program for five years, there had been hardly any internet discussion about it.
Regarding the file’s addition to MacOS, Apple has not provided any information. Mr. Baio claimed that he had learned that the presence had been reported as a problem a year earlier and that the engineer who added it had been given responsibility for it, but that there had been no further development.
Even as it expands into more conventional financial services like payments and loans, Apple has mainly maintained its official separation from cryptocurrencies.
The Bitcoin Whitepaper was created in 2008 by an individual or group who went under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto but whose true identity has never been determined. The document goes into great detail to explain why the cryptocurrency was created in the first place, in addition to explaining how it works.
As a result, it has emerged as a key text for those who back Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general. That might be the reason it was purportedly discreetly included in the program, probably by a MacOS engineer.
MacOS
The file is a component of the Image Capture program, which is pre-installed on every Mac and enables users to scan pictures using an outside scanner. Naturally, the software also has to do with how MacOS manages printers, which is likely how Baio discovered the file. And now for something to remember.
The idea of this document wasn’t for common users to find it. It may be found inside a folder containing items that Apple developers utilize for their own internal testing. To imitate the procedure of scanning and exporting documents and photographs using the program without really having a scanner, the same folder also contains additional random images and PDF files.
The Bitcoin white paper
What justifies using the initial Bitcoin whitepaper, then? It’s difficult to say for sure, but the Apple developers who worked on this tool most likely just made this up as an inside joke. The internal software of Apple is rife with allusions and jokes. Engineers never anticipate that consumers will view these files, after all.
The most probable reason is that since this tool doesn’t contain any critical information, the programmers weren’t bothered to remove it from the most recent macOS release. Of all things, finding out that Apple has a file regarding Bitcoin hidden in their operating system is hardly something you discover every day.
Baio claims to have learned from a source that Apple developers were aware of the existence of the Bitcoin whitepaper in macOS but did nothing to get it taken out. Apple will most likely decide to remove it with a subsequent update, though, considering the effects on the internet.
The Bitcoin white paper, “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.” lays out the argument for a currency that is decentralized and based on a public ledger. Thereby giving birth to Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.
Conculsion
Why or how the Bitcoin white paper got onto Apple computers is unknown. However, the business has a long history of hiding Easter eggs in its merchandise. Such as allusions to “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings.” The Macintosh operating system has consistently included hidden messages or meanings in its MacOS and mobile application icons. And previous versions of the operating system contained hidden, playable Tetris, Pong, and snake versions.
The Bitcoin white paper seems to be the very first crypto-related Easter egg discovered hidden in Apple software.