WikiLeaks founder and prominent free speech advocate Julian Assange has developed strong connections with the Bitcoin community.
Both he and WikiLeaks have benefited from the unique properties of Bitcoin (BTC) as a cryptocurrency, as well as from its vibrant community.
Assange and WikiLeaks have also played a crucial role in boosting the relevance of Bitcoin, with the symbiotic relationship being mutually beneficial and contributing to Bitcoin and WikiLeaks’ survival and progress.
On June 25, Assange won his freedom after a 14-year legal battle in which he was imprisoned for five years. The dispute ended when Assange agreed to a deal with United States authorities, pleading guilty in exchange for avoiding extradition to the U.S. and receiving credit for his time served in the United Kingdom, ultimately leading to his release.
The Bitcoin community has strongly supported WikiLeaks and its founder because they share similar goals, Joshua Bate, founder of DeSciWorld and core member of AssangeDAO, explained to Cointelegraph. “They are closely intertwined and both equally dangerous to an authoritarian regime,” he said.
Bate believes that “WikiLeaks enables free information exchange, [and] Bitcoin allows more free value exchange.” Therefore, “both WikiLeaks and Bitcoin fight against censorship.” For this reason, Assange has received ongoing support from the Bitcoin community throughout his legal fights.
A recent testament to this solidarity is an anonymous donation of 8 BTC, which has covered virtually all of Assange’s $520,000 debt incurred for his repatriation to Australia.
No commercial airline would accept Assange as a passenger, so he used a private jet to return to Australia. Assange’s wife Stella asked for an emergency donation to cover the expense of the plane.
A few hours later, a BTC donation allowed Assange to land in Australia debt-free.
Assange protected Bitcoin as Satoshi Nakamoto requested
WikiLeaks was founded in 2006 but didn’t become a significant journalistic entity until 2010 when it released the infamous video dubbed “Collateral Murder.” The footage showed a U.S. Army helicopter shooting and killing a group of 18 civilians in Baghdad, including two Iraqi Reuters journalists.
The video brought much attention to WikiLeaks, culminating in a widespread effort from U.S. and British authorities to close down the nonprofit organization.
Under U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration, the U.S. State Department labeled WikiLeaks activities illegal. This action provoked a financial blockade of WikiLeaks involving PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, Bank of America and Western Union, impacting donations and threatening its existence.
WikiLeaks was desperate to find a means of payment for donations, especially one that is uncensorable by governments. On Nov. 10, 2010, a Bitcoin developer contacted WikiLeaks to offer cryptocurrency as a means of payment.
However, Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, pleaded with WikiLeaks not to use BTC for donations, as it would bring undue attention to the fledgling cryptocurrency.
Nakamoto believed the software was still in its infancy, and association with WikiLeaks would bring undue attention to the cryptocurrency.
In 2014, Assange admitted to acquiescing to Nakamoto’s request to avoid using Bitcoin until it had become “more established.”
However, an article in PC World publicized the idea of WikiLeaks accepting Bitcoin. The sudden attention paid to Bitcoin didn’t please Nakamoto, who believed it could threaten the network. On Dec. 11, 2010, Nakamoto posted on the Bitcoin Talk forum:
“WikiLeaks has kicked the hornet’s nest, and the swarm is headed towards us.”
Assange kept his “promise, but Nakamoto left the project shortly after Bitcoin became more popular.
Assange and WikiLeaks continued to struggle financially and had almost no fundraising options. In June 2011, WikiLeaks had no choice but to break the financial blockade by setting up a Bitcoin address to receive BTC donations. This step would become a crucial decision for the survival of WikiLeaks.
The uncensorable properties of Bitcoin have been instrumental in sustaining WikiLeaks, allowing funds to flow in without the risk of seizure or interference.
The organization received 171 BTC in the first week, and a secure fundraising channel was created, which is still working today.
Overnight, WikiLeaks showcased a clear use case for Bitcoin.
The nonprofit organization’s decision to accept Bitcoin donations turned out to be one of the best decisions it made.
While Assange was involved in ongoing legal battles, he ironically appreciated the U.S. government for the banking blockade, admitting that WikiLeaks adopted Bitcoin in response.
On Oct. 14, 2017, Assange claimed that he and WikiLeaks benefited from the 50,000% return on their Bitcoin funds. The organization had already received 4,000 BTC at that time. Months later, the 2017 bull market launched Bitcoin to $20,000.
Was it all worth it for Assange?
Assange and his family have suffered significantly in defending freedom of speech.
In August 2010, shortly after WikiLeaks massive exposure, Swedish authorities issued an arrest warrant for Assange for allegations of sexual misconduct.
Assange fled Sweden and sought asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
Assange could not exit the premises of the Ecuadorian Embassy for seven years. A shift in Ecuador’s leadership then prompted the withdrawal of Assange’s asylum.
U.K. authorities arrested the hacker and imprisoned him for five years in the high-security Belmarsh Prison, dubbed the country’s Guantánamo Bay.
Assange continued to face possible extradition to the U.S., where the most severe punishment could potentially await him. Like other whistleblowers, such as Edward Snowden, Assange’s life was radically transformed after exposing sensitive government secrets.
Was Assange’s struggle worth it?
Harry Halpin, the CEO of Nym and member of AssangeDAO, told Cointelegraph that he believes society may not have learned enough from Assange’s struggles.
However, he did say that thanks to Assange’s efforts, war crimes and the suppression of truth are topics that appear daily in parliamentary debates, on daytime TV and even on YouTube podcasts.
“Ultimately, we must use Julian’s partial triumph as a catalyst to create more powerful communication and resistance structures.”
Since his arrival in Australia, Assange wants to remain out of the spotlight and enjoy his privacy. His wife Stella said that the founder of WikiLeaks plans to “enjoy his freedom” in the meantime and urged journalists to pressure the U.S. government to disclose details related to the criminal case against her husband.
As she mentioned in her latest public appearance, one of the conditions of the plea deal with U.S. authorities means “Julian isn’t allowed to request freedom of information [or] make information requests [to] the U.S. government.”
However, she emphasized that other citizens still have this power and urged the public to press U.S. authorities to explain their actions.