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The official WikiLeaks store, an offshoot of the not-for-profit organization notorious for leaking government secrets, now accepts payments in Lightning bitcoin.
All proceeds from the online store, which sells WikiLeaks T-shirts and other goodies, go to finance WikiLeaks operations. The store already accepts bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies for payments. Now, starting Tuesday, too accepts bitcoin payments via Lightning, making WikiLeaks Shop one of the first vendors to do so.
The Lightning Network supports a newer and faster type of bitcoin transaction that could potentially help bitcoin scale to support many more users. But using Lightning is still a bit experimental and risky, compared to sending transactions directly to the Bitcoin blockchain.
A spokesperson for the WikiLeaks Shop told CoinDesk that the site added Lightning support after receiving some inquiries from potential customers. “We try to offer as many encrypted payment options as possible requested by our supporters, as many of them also love cryptocurrencies,” the person said.
This latest development of the WikiLeaks store has historical significance as WikiLeaks was one of the first organizations to accept bitcoin in 2011 as a way to receive donations. At the time, US banks were blocking Visa and Mastercard payments to the controversial organization.
“I cannot speak for the main organization as the store is technically separate. However, for the shop [bitcoin] it was an easy process to add as we use the CoinPayments gateway, ”a spokesperson for the store told CoinDesk.
Users who pay for items using cryptocurrency instead of traditional payment methods receive a 5% discount.
“We typically see most cryptocurrency orders in bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum and very few in other altcoins, but perhaps we will have more orders with this one,” the spokesperson added.
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