WikiLeaks Gets Bulk of Donation Via Bitcoin and LiteCoin

Non-profit journalistic organisation WikiLeaks has said that the bulk of its donation comes via digital currencies bitcoin and litecoin.

The organisation that publishes secret information, news leaks, and classified media from anonymous sources, revealed the information in a tweet. However, it did not mention the percentage of funding in digital currencies.

WikiLeaks became notorious after the release of almost 400,000 documents related to US involvement and actions in the Iraq war.

The organisation accepts payments through credit cards, PayPal, bitcoin, litecoin, Google Checkout, cheques, bank transfers and moneygram, according to its donation page.

The announcement indicates that promoters of digital currencies continue to play a key role in supporting the organisation, whose data leaks received worldwide attention.

WikiLeaks has so far received 3,855.40109972 bitcoins from 2,261 transactions. It has a final balance of 11.08765253 bitcoins at present. Bitcoin is trading at $935.93 on MT Gox, one of the largest bitcoin exchanges.

In June 2013, WikiLeaks raised 7.18 bitcoins to support the US National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden, who is in exile in Russia. Snowden leaked top secret NSA documents to the media, revealing the secret agencies mass surveillance programmes.

More Secure

Digital currencies have steadily been gaining in popularity despite sharp volatility in their values. The virtual currencies exist as software and are not backed by any country or banking authority.

Bitcoin was launched in 2008 and is traded within a global network of computers. They can be transferred without going through banks or clearing houses, reducing fees involved in the services significantly.

Payments via bitcoin are secure and anonymous, as they cannot be tracked as in the case of traditions payment methods. Bitcoin is "safer and faster alternative to other donation methods", according to WikiLeaks.

Regulatory bodies in the US, Europe, India and many other countries have warned consumers about the risks of virtual currencies in the light of the currency's growing popularity and usage.

Despite the setbacks, an increasing number of popular businesses have announced that they will accept the cryptocurrency for payments, helping boost its value.