Financial Blockade Forces Wikileaks to Halt Publishing Operations
- Posted on October 24, 2011 at 1:33pm by
Becket Adams
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Meanwhile, member of the press who support Assange continue to be shocked--shocked--over the News of The World phone-hacking scandal
WikiLeaks will “temporarily suspend its publishing operations” because of what it calls a financial blockade being waged against it by financial and banking companies, reports the journal.ie.
At a press conference in London, editor-in-chief Julian Assange said a financial embargo–which includes Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Western Union all refusing to process online donations–has severely hampered the site’s ability to function.
“If WikiLeaks does not find a way to remove this blockade we will simply not be able to continue by the turn of the new year,” founder Julian Assange told journalists at London’s Frontline Club. “If we don’t knock down the blockade we simply will not be able to continue,” he added.
Although several U.S. officials criticized the website when it released hundreds of classified U.S. military documents, it wasn’t until WikiLeaks began publishing a massive trove of 250,000 U.S. State Department cables late last year that the financial screws began to tighten, reports the Huffington Post.
As a result of the State Department releases, MasterCard, Visa, PayPal and Western Union stopped processing donations to WikiLeaks and cut off the organization financially.
Describing the blockade as “an arbitrary and unlawful” move, Assange said that Wikileaks had lost 95 per cent of its income, and that the site was now living on “cash reserves,” reports the journal.ie.
Donations were running at around €100,000 ($139,000) per month last year, but had dropped to between €6,000 ($8,300) and €7,000 ($9,700) this year – leading the Wikileak editor-in-chief to conclude that the site had lost somewhere between €40m ($55 million) and €50m ($70 million).
In desperation, Wikileaks has resorted to raising funds from several wealthy backers, including Frontline Club founder Vaughan Smith, whose mansion in eastern England has been put at Assange’s disposal while he fights extradition to Sweden on sex crime allegations, as well as organizing a series of auctions.
Among the items put for sale in the Wikileaks auction: Lunch with the 40-year-old WikiLeaks founder, and the laptop computer he used to organize the U.S. cables release, according to the Huffington Post.
In a separate statement, WikiLeaks said it would have to “aggressively fundraise in order to fight back against the blockade and its proponents”.
“The blockade came into force within ten days of the launch of Cablegate as part of a concerted US-based, political attack that included vitriol by senior right wing politicians, including assassination calls against WikiLeaks staff,” the statement read.
“The blockade is outside of any accountable, public process. It is without democratic oversight or transparency.”
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c0mm0nsense
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 8:51amSilencing people…….. is this a good thing?
Report Post »V-MAN MACE
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 1:49pmOf course not.
This is what Nazis do.
This is financial terrorism against WIkileaks.
Report Post »Dave In Arizona
Posted on October 26, 2011 at 1:37amIs Soros going broke? Too bad.
Report Post »Walter P
Posted on October 25, 2011 at 6:20amWhat’s that old statement? Oh yeah, never let the facts get in the way of a good story. I‘m glad he’s not my accountant.
“Donations were running at around €100,000 ($139,000) per month last year, but had dropped to between €6,000 ($8,300) and €7,000 ($9,700) this year – leading the Wikileak editor-in-chief to conclude that the site had lost somewhere between €40m ($55 million) and €50m ($70 million).”
When I take $139000 minus $8300 then times 12 I get: $1568400 or $1.5 million. If I take the worst case scenario of $139000 times 12 minus $8300 I get: $1659700 or $1.6 million. So I’m not sure where/how he figures they’re losing $55 – $70 million. Guess it sounds more drastic than $1.5 – $1.6 million. If they‘re as careful with news facts as they are with financial facts it’s a wonder that anyone listens to them.
Report Post »Cold War Vet
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 9:42pmA private business_even a really big one like a bank_ reserves the right to refuse service to anyone.
If I were a bank, why would I choose to support or do business with an organization whose activities are potentially anti-capitalistic or anti-business?
I say screw WikiLeaks and let them rot.
Report Post »jaylew
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 9:32pmWho cares about him?
Report Post »wisehiney
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 9:12pmLive by the screw, die by the screw.
Report Post »Wildape
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 7:30pmThis is probably like high school all over again for him. No friends. Everyone hates him. Bwahahahaha!
Report Post »barber2
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 6:18pmJulian is just another one of the little anarchists who are presently having their Temper Tantrums at all of the Occupy Camp-Ins. His is just a digital version.
Report Post »thetreyman
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 5:49pmi thought lemmiwinks already killed wikileaks.
Report Post »Muddbog
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 4:52pmI’m sorry I have to say this, Wikileaks was doing exactly what Obama said he would do, “transparency” sure there were a few things that were borderline he released but you know, if a government is doing things that are unethical they should be called out on it, and every government has skeletons in their closets, it’s just a matter of time before they are let out!
On another note… Wikileaks didn’t steal the information… they were given the information by a traitor! So tell me would whats wrong with that?
Report Post »Ne_FAL
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 6:12pmViolation of various security /anti -espionage laws possession of stolen property to just start. Also if you look really hard at the forms that are filled out but you will find clauses that state that you may NOT use the services of paypal or Western Union for criminal purposes & if you do the service providers have the right to refuse & to turn over any & all info they have about you to the police. .
Report Post »garyM
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 4:07pmWikileaks is evil, however he must have been gonna release some info damaging to Obama. Why didn’t they stop him long ago?
Report Post »barber2
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 6:25pmRelease damaging information about Obama ? Seems impossible. Heck, we can’t even get access to his school records ! Someone controlling the media ?? Now who has spent billions since 1998 to influence and control the media ? Hmmmm. What was his name ? something like sorry or solar or…
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:53pmWikileaks I will put it this way “Ask me if I even care….”
Report Post »Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 4:03pmRight. The information that the government and the state media gives us is more than enough for us.
Report Post »dangmc
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:51pmIt couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy! (Or, “fool around with the brass band and you’re liable to get hit with the horn! Louis L’Amour)
Report Post »Chet Hempstead
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 4:00pmYeah, maybe, but if putting pressure on four financial organizations, all located in the U.S., can have this much impact, then what’s to stop the same thing from being done to somebody you don’t think deserves it?
Report Post »PROV1X
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:47pmu mess with the bull u get the horns u idiot! thank God u are not at gitmo or in a ditch somewhere!
Report Post »Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:39pmHe didn‘t really think he was going to take on the NWO and they’d just stand around and let it happen did he? Was he really that naive?
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:52pmwell now we know why little Julian is pro OWS. I always enjoy watching a limp wristed anarchist like Assange demand order and the rule of law when the tables are turned him.
Report Post »Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:58pm…as I enjoy watching Neo-Cons cry for liberty and freedom when the tables are turned on them.
Report Post »Tickdog
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:38pmgood….
Report Post »Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
Posted on October 24, 2011 at 3:57pmRight. How dare he mess with our government. They love us and only keep secrets from us for our own good. /sarc
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