Internet pioneer and VerFi chairman Pindar Wong has issued an impassioned plea to authorities amidst growing speculation bitcoin’s creator may have finally been identified.

Speaking at the Finnovasia FinTech conference in Hong Kong, Wong addressed reports issued yesterday by Wired and Gizmodo that allegedly expose Wright as bitcoin’s long anonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto, as well as a separate piece by The Guardian that revealed police visited the 44-year-old Australian’s home on Wednesday.

In his brief remarks, Wong called for the global community to have sympathy for Wright’s situation, regardless of whether he is Nakamoto or simply the latest individual to be ensnared by the media’s quest to reveal his or her identity.

Wong told the audience:

“I want to encourage us to get behind him as an individual for his invention. The only reason we’re having this discussion is because this individual innovated and he should not be penalized for his invention.”

The comments followed a panel session moderated by Wong that found the CEOs of regional blockchain industry startups, including Bitspark and Gatecoin, speak alongside executives from UBS and WIP Solutions.

Wong, who founded Hong Kong’s first commercial Internet service provider (ISP), has notably emerged as a unifying figure in the bitcoin industry due to his role in the Scaling Bitcoin conferences.

Held in Montreal and, most recently, Hong Kong, the workshops have sought to bring together the global bitcoin development community as it seeks to upgrade its technology in the face of increasing enthusiasm from investors and traditional financial incumbents.

Image via Pete Rizzo for CoinDesk