Big news! Julian Assange, who started WikiLeaks, has received a significant gift of $500,000 in Bitcoin, a type of digital money, from someone who didn’t want to be known. This money will help Assange leave the UK and go to Australia. This comes after Assange made a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice.

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• Julian Assange, who started WikiLeaks, has received a massive donation of $500,000 in Bitcoin from a person who didn’t want to be known. This money will help Assange leave the UK.
• Before this, Assange’s wife, Stella, had asked the public for money to help cover costs. She set up a page where people could donate money, including Bitcoin.
• This large Bitcoin donation shows Assange’s long history with this type of digital money. More than ten years ago, WikiLeaks was able to keep going because of Bitcoin donations when traditional banks wouldn’t help.

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Bitcoin Boost: Anonymous Donor Provides $500,000 Lifeline to WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange

Earlier in the week, Assange’s wife, Stella, asked the public for money to help cover the cost of moving Assange. The family set up a page where people could donate money, including Bitcoin. 

Here’s a little about Bitcoin. It’s different from the money we use every day. It’s a type of digital or ‘online’ money. People can send Bitcoins to each other, just like sending emails. This kind of money is stored in something called a ‘digital wallet.’ Over the years, Bitcoin has become very popular, and many people use it now. The exciting thing about Bitcoin is that it’s not controlled by any government or bank. This is why Julian Assange and WikiLeaks could use Bitcoin when banks wouldn’t help them.

So far, this page has received 34 donations and has collected over $500,000 in Bitcoin. Interestingly, one person donated 8.07 Bitcoins, a lot of the total money collected. The original page, which accepted regular money, has also collected about $500,000.

Stella says that it costs a lot of money for Assange to get to Australia. He has to pay $520,000 to the Australian government for his flight. Since he can’t use standard airlines or routes, every donation, no matter how small, is a big help.

Assange has a history with Bitcoin. Over ten years ago, WikiLeaks could keep going because of Bitcoin donations when ordinary banks wouldn’t help. In a 2014 interview, Assange said WikiLeaks and Bitcoin “kept each other alive.”

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