WikiLeaks, which was down to about $120,000 in total reserves at the end of June because of a blockade program by Visa and MasterCard, is now accepting donations again.The organization announced on Wednesday that it had found a loophole via the French credit card system, Carte Bleue. Carte Bleue is linked with Visa and MasterCard globally, but both are contractually barred from cutting off merchants within the Carte Bleue system, according to WikiLeaks. The French non-profit FDNN (Fund for the Defense of Net Neutrality or Fonds de Défense de la Net Neutralité) has set up a Carte Bleue fund for WikiLeaks.
Now WikiLeaks is asking supporters to donate before MasterCard and Visa find a way to block payments again.
The plea comes as WikiLeaks is expected to run out of cash within a few months. The organization’s goal is to raise €1 million (about $1.22 million) “immediately.”
Last week, WikiLeaks won an important legal battle against Visa and MasterCard in Iceland — where the credit card companies’ local partner was ordered by a judge to resume processing credit card donations made to the controversial secret-sharing site.
The Icelandic court ruled that Valitor, Visa and MasterCard’s local partner, ran afoul of contract laws when it stopped processing donations to WikiLeaks, according to The Associated Press.
Visa and MasterCard, along with other U.S.-based financial firms such as PayPal, blocked transactions headed for WikiLeaks in 2010 after the website published more than 250,000 American classified diplomatic cables.
Valitor must restore service to WikiLeaks within two weeks or face fines of about $6,000 every day. The company is planning to appeal the decision.
Meanwhile, WikiLeaks leader Julian Assange requested political asylum from Ecuador after losing his appeal against extradition from the U.K. to Sweden last month. He’s wanted by Swedish authorities to answer for accusations of sexual misconduct, but says he believes Sweden would send him to the United States to be tried for crimes related to WikiLeaks releases.
The United States has not publicly charged Assange with any crime. (Mashable.com)
