Non-profit media group Wikileaks has announced that it is now accepting donations in the privacy-oriented cryptocurrency zcash.
The information sharing site revealed that it would take the new payment option in a tweet earlier today. The news makes zcash the third cryptocurrency Wikileaks will accept for donations, joining bitcoin and litecoin.
Zcash was included as one of the options in a poll the nonprofit held on Twitter at the start of the month. Of the options presented – monero, zcash and ethereum (misspelled as “etherium” ) – zcash garnered 11 percent of the 12,204 votes submitted, compared to 21 percent for monero and 45 percent for ethereum. Twenty-three percent opted for “other”.
Wikileaks, which gained notoriety for its release of materials including footage from the Iraq War and the emails of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, began accepting bitcoin back in 2011.
Since then, the cryptocurrency has proven to be a popular donation mechanism for the group. As of press time, Wikileaks’ bitcoin wallet, for example, has received more than 26,000 transactions to date.
The group – and its founder Julian Assange – have tapped the technology for other purposes as well.
During an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit in January, Assange (who has lived in the London-based embassy for Ecuador since 2o12), used data from the bitcoin blockchain as a “proof of life” mechanism to effectively quash rumors that he was dead.
Disclosure: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in Zerocoin Electric Company, the developer of zcash.
Wikileaks image via Gil C/Shutterstock.com
The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is an independent media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. Have breaking news or a story tip to send to our journalists? Contact us at [email protected].
https://www.coindesk.com/wikileaks-now-accepting-zcash-donations/
