Reports said that Bitcoin core developer Luke Dashjr has called out the sellers behind a nonfungible token (NFT) auction for using his name and code without his knowledge or consent.
It has been reported that in a Feb. 27 post on Twitter, the developer revealed an NFT featuring a picture of code he wrote was sold at an auction site for 0.41 Bitcoin or around $9,500, as of Feb. 28.
Dashjr explained:
“It was advertised as my code in the listing and presented to the public for sale and profit. Let me be clear – I was not involved with the creation and sale of this or any other NFTs. I have not consented to the use of my code or my name for this purpose. Instead, 3rd parties are marketing my name and my code for their own monetary gain.”
However, Dashjr revealed that the winner of the auction eventually contacted him and he had to inform them he was not involved with the sale. Dashjr claims that an individual — either the seller or the auction site — had reached out and offered him “a donation of 90% of the auction proceeds,” which he declined.
Dashjr added:
“The public should also be aware that the seller and/or auction site offered me a donation of 90% of the auction proceeds ‘should I choose to accept’ it. I feel this is a clear attempt to: (1) bribe me into silence; and/or (2) obtain my consent after the fact. I will not accept such payment at the expense of the public who are being misled. I will not accept any such ‘donation.’ Due to the misrepresentation involved and actual buyer confusion, I strongly insist upon 100% of the auction proceeds to be refunded to the buyer.”
The report said that according to Dashjr, “other Bitcoin devs” have been placed in similar situations and been offered "considerable” donations for their cooperation; he did not provide any specific details.
Thus, hackers gained access to his PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) key, a common security method that uses two keys to gain access to encrypted information. The news ignited a debate around self-custody, which became a hot topic after the collapse of crypto exchange FTX.
Source: Cointelegraph