Paypal suspends Wikileaks’ account for getting donations
ONLINE payment service PayPal has suspended the WikiLeaks’ account that the organisation used to collect donations.
US-based PayPal said in a statement that WikiLeaks, which has released thousands of secret US diplomatic cables, had violated its policy.
A statement on the PayPal site said: “PayPal has permanently restricted the account used by WikiLeaks due to a violation of the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy, which states that our payment service cannot be used for any activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity. We’ve notified the account holder of this action.”
A posting on WikiLeaks’ Twitter page said “PayPal bans WikiLeaks after US government pressure.”
PayPal is one of several ways that WikiLeaks takes in donations to finance its operations.
On Friday, WikiLeaks directed readers to a web address in Switzerland after two US Internet providers dropped it in the space of two days.
Meanwhile, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has warned his supporters are primed to publish a “deluge” of leaked government documents if his activities are stopped.
He has distributed a file to fellow hackers, thought to include details on BP and Guantanamo Bay. Assange counts the file as his insurance in case he is killed, arrested or his site permanently removed from the web.
A warrant has now been issued for his arrest as Swedish prosecutors want to quiz him over rape allegations.