What is the GHOST Archive?

The GHOST Archive is an independent historical and technical research archive covering John McAfee's GHOST privacy cryptocurrency, including its whitepapers, technology, ecosystem, controversy, and post-2020 development. It is not the official GHOST project and is not affiliated with John McAfee's estate or any related project.

Is the GHOST Archive investment advice?

No. The GHOST Archive is an independent research project and does not provide investment advice. All market and status indicators require current verification.

When did John McAfee's GHOST coin launch?

GHOST was announced in April 2020, distributed via the ESH snapshot on May 25, 2020, and reached mainnet genesis on June 22, 2020.

What is The GHOST Archive?

John McAfee GHOST Coin : The definitive independent research , whitepapers, and legacy of John McAfee's GHOST privacy cryptocurrency.

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Why GHOST Was Forked From Particl

Bitcoin ancestry, privacy code, and an organizational distinction.

Editorial metadata · E-E-A-T

Author

The GHOST Archive Editorial Team

Editor

The GHOST Archive Editorial Team

Published

2024-01-01

Updated

2026-10-08

Last verified

2026-10-08

Direct answer

After the PIVX controversy, GHOST adopted Particl's codebase rather than building an entirely new blockchain. Open-source ancestry does not mean the projects are organizationally affiliated.

Genealogy

Flow diagram

BITCOIN

↓

PARTICL

↓

GHOST

Why Particl

›Bitcoin ancestry with a mature codebase.
›Proof of Stake already implemented.
›Confidential Transactions and RingCT present.
›Privacy-focused code matched GHOST's goals.
›Avoided the cost of building a new blockchain from scratch.

Sources

S-02Revised GHOST Whitepaper (June 2020)PRIMARY
2020-06 · whitepaper · supports: Particl-derived architecture, RingCT, stealth addresses, Bulletproofs, Dandelion++
https://github.com/ghost-coin
S-07Particl source repositoryPRIMARY
ongoing · source code · supports: GHOST codebase ancestry
https://github.com/particl