Requests for comment on a proposal calling on the Wikimedia Foundation to stop accepting cryptocurrency donations have been closed, with the majority of users voting in favor.
according to a tuesday to update About the proposal, roughly 71%, or 232 of 326, Wikimedia contributors who responded requested that the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organization that hosts Wikipedia, stop accepting donations in cryptocurrency. Arguments in favor of the proposal included environmental concerns around Bitcoin (BTC) transactions and "the reputational risk of the movement for accepting cryptocurrencies."
community first He opened the proposal for comment. on January 10, expanding the discussion to include topics such as El Salvador's adoption of BTC as legal tender, cryptocurrencies as a tool for illicit financial activities, and the role of digital assets in financial inclusion. However, most of the topics seemed to focus on the energy use and potential environmental impact of cryptocurrencies.
"Cryptocurrencies may not align with the Wikimedia Foundation's commitment to environmental sustainability," the original proposal read. โBitcoin and Ethereum are the two most widely used cryptocurrencies, and they are both proof-of-work, which use an enormous amount of energy. [...] current models continue to be extremely harmful to the environment. While greener cryptocurrencies exist, they are used less."
Those arguments in opposition to the proposal include proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies that are "much less energy intensive" and use tokens to provide "safer ways to donate and engage in finance for people in oppressive countries." One user cited the Ukrainian government accepting crypto donations as an argument against the technology having a bad reputation.
โCryptocurrencies should remain an option for Wikimedia to accept donations,โ user C933103 said on March 14. โWikimedia accepts donations in cryptocurrencies, it does not give out cryptocurrencies. If the law of a country prohibits the donation to [the Wikimedia Foundation, or WMF] through the banks then it is the country in the wrong not WMF. Accepting donations instead of giving them also means that it will not be used to facilitate new economic activities that could be subject to sanction or finance other illegal activities, since all currency received will be immediately converted to fiat currency in the WMF account. โ
What's that rumbling noise in the distance, getting louder and louder, you ask?
is the stampede of cryptocurrency fanatics who have never donated to the wikimedia foundation, yelling "I guess I'll take my money somewhere else!"
โ Molly Blanco (@molly0xFFF) April 13, 2022
However, Wikimedia contributor TrueAnonyman supported the proposal, adding:
โThe financial effect of ceasing to accept crypto donations would be minimal, and would be far outweighed by the reputational damage to the Wikimedia project of being seen as supporting a technology so strongly tied to various environmental and social harms.โ
Related: Wiki continues to accept crypto donations despite pressure to stop
The foundation reported in January that He received roughly $130,000 in crypto donations in the last financial year, roughly 0.08% of their income. Bitcoin was the most used cryptocurrency among the 347 people who donated, but the nonprofit also you accept ether (ETH) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH).
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