Julian Assange Urges Donors to Use Cryptocurrencies, Thwart Government

Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks and international exile, has urged donors to contribute to the online publication by using cryptocurrencies in order to skirt the financial ‘blockade’ by national governments. His foundation will now accept payments in Bitcoin, Litecoin, Monero and ZCash.

The exiled Assange has become something of a public cheerleader for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies following a number of tweets expressing his general approval of the decentralized digital currency model in opposition to governmental controls.

This is exactly what Bitcoin was designed to do. WikiLeaks used it to beat the (illegal) blockade against us also, starting in 2011. https://t.co/op14R2EEoC — Julian Assange ? (@JulianAssange) December 13, 2017

A recent thread includes a number of announcements regarding the current US controls on Wikileaks donations:

1/ Banking blockade 2.0:
We have discovered an amazing plot by U.S. intelligence against the foundation which provides @WikiLeaks donors with tax deductibility in the EU (Wau Holland Stiftung). It comes after our series on the CIA, #Vault7. In press next week. — Julian Assange ? (@JulianAssange) December 17, 2017

The growth in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has provided a substantial return for Assange, who recently thanked the US government for forcing him into the alternative payment method. The reality that cryptocurrencies may help to skirt governmental controls has led many to suggest that regulations on digital currencies are inevitable.