Claiming that Wikileaks is engaging in illegal activity, MasterCard moves joins other finance industry giants to try and squash the whistleblower.
“MasterCard is taking action to ensure that WikiLeaks can no longer accept MasterCard-branded products,” a spokesman for MasterCard Worldwide said today.
That further limits the revenue sources for WikiLeaks, which has seen its finances systematically attacked in the last few days, as the Swiss authorities shut down a bank account used by editor Julian Assange, and PayPal permanently restricted the account used by the group. WikiLeaks has responded with an increasing number of fund-raising requests that urge supporters to “KEEP US STRONG.”
Assuming that MasterCard blocks payments, the only easy way to donate electronically would be with a Visa credit card through a Web page hosted by Iceland-based DataCell.com. Representatives of Visa did not respond to requests for comment from CNET today. (WikiLeaks also solicits payments sent through the U.S. mail.)
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20024776-281.html#ixzz17NR0bO00
This is move supports my theory the banks are the real drivers behind this assault. Nevertheless, these tactics are very much like when the US froze assets belonging to al Qaeda.
Assange is expected to give himself up to British authorities tomorrow
Mr Assange is expected to voluntarily attend a police station within the next 24 hours, and will then appear in a magistrates’ court. He is wanted over allegations of sexual assault in Sweden.
He is currently in hiding in the south-east of England but police are understood to have the necessary paperwork to arrest him.
Mark Stephens, Mr Assange’s British lawyer, said: “We are in discussions about him going to the police by consent.”
