Wikimedia, a non-profit organization that oversees Wikipedia, has decided to stop accepting donations in cryptocurrencies. This was the result of a three-month debate in which the main topic of discussion was the impact of Bitcoin on the environment.
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The final decision was made in response to a community vote at the suggestion of member Molly White, aka GorillaWarfare. She argued that accepting donations in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ethereum is indicative of support for digital coins, which are “inherently predatory” as an investment and do not meet the foundation’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
The Wikimedia Foundation has decided to stop accepting cryptocurrency donations. The decision was made based on a community request that the WMF no longer accept crypto donations, which came out of a three-month-long discussion that wrapped up earlier this month.pic.twitter.com/RHAD0FRA5W
— Molly White (@molly0xFFF) May 1, 2022
In the voting, 71.17% of users supported the idea to stop accepting cryptocurrencies. In total, 326 users took part in the voting (the votes of new and unregistered users were not taken into account): 232 were in favor of refusing to accept cryptocurrencies, 94 were against such a denial.
White argued that the organization risks damage to its reputation by accepting donations in cryptocurrencies. Wikimedia accepts Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum via BitPay. White noted the huge energy needs of the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains and said that other “green” cryptocurrencies exist, although they are less widely used.
Meanwhile, the Ethereum network is working on a transition to a Proof of Stake model that uses less energy, although the transition has faced long delays. Wikimedia is leaving the door open for a possible resumption of cryptocurrency acceptance, saying it will continue to monitor the situation.
Source: coindesk
