PayPal Alternatives

[silentwaters]

In my opinion, one reason WikiLeaks is having a hard time with finances is because of the limitations in sending money to them. Take my case, for example:

I have a fairly modest income and would like to help in my own little way. I live in a place where the only way I could send money to WikiLeaks is through wire transfer(our postal system isn't the most relable, so sending money via post is out of the question). Wire transfer fees cost anywhere from $7 up. So, if I could only afford to send $10, it wouldn't feel right to have 70% of that go to the bank as processing fee and only have 30% go to WikiLeaks.

So, my opinion is that WikiLeaks should look into using other ways in which people can conveniently send smaller amounts of money to them (aka PayPal Alternatives) and promote that. I'm pretty sure a lot of us wouldn't mind parting with $5 or $10.

For consideration:

1. AlertPay.com - it's pretty similar to PayPal but it's not based in the US. So I'm thinking America would have a harder time pressuring these guys to stop receiving funds for WL.

2. BitCoin -Not quite sure how it works but it sounds pretty promising.

3. Flattr - I believe WL does have a Flattr account (correct me if I'm wrong) but have not been promoting it.

Your thoughts?

[lizrex]

Yes it is a good idea, I posted something similar to this.  I really do hope that WL is able to sue paypal one day for loss of donations.

[Alt]

Good idea.

[elewton]

...2. BitCoin -Not quite sure how it works but it sounds pretty promising.
...
Your thoughts?

Bitcoin would be excellent for anonymous donations, but it's important not to just post up a Bitcoin address for donations; anyone using blockexplorer could see which addresses donated and try to correlate them with, say, confiscated exchange logs.
It would be better to negotiate an SSL session, then generate a new Bitcoin address for the individual donation, which should be laundered before going in the coffers.

Alternatively, if Wikileaks doesn't mind the whole world knowing how many Bitcoins they have received, they can simply publish an address and rely on the donaters to anonymise if they want to.

Either way, posting over at the Bitcoin Forum is bound to get a lot of help.

[Priest]

DalPay.com is Iceland based and an alternative to Paypal, although the Mastercard and Visacard problem would still exist!

[infohedon]

I tried to clarify the process of acquiring and donating bitcoins here: http://infohedon.blogspot.com/2011/07/donate-to-wikileaks-with-bitcoins-tell.html

Here's the pertinent section from the link (may be easier to go to the link above):



Here’s how this is gonna happen:

    1. Set up Dwolla account and deposit funds. (there’s some waiting and confirmation stuff here)
    2. Set up MtGox account and transfer funds from Dwolla account.
    3. Use MtGox account to buy some bitcoins.
    4. Transfer bitcoins from MtGox account to WikiLeaks, or transfer to online wallet and donate from there.

Off we go.
1. Set up Dwolla account deposit funds. (US only; Otherwise, see next step)

Go to: https://www.dwolla.com

Good job. Now sign up for an account. Don’t forget that you’re dealing with real money, so you’ll want to avoid that 12345 password. You’re going to need an account to transfer money from. It’ll ask you to confirm two deposits in your bank account as well as confirm your e-mail. You’re getting your routing and account number mixed up? Okay, here:



After you confirm the deposits, you’ll need to get money into your Dwolla account. There’s that transfer time . . . such a pain, I know. Just think of how much WikiLeaks has done for you. You can bookmark this page and continue when you get the confirmations. Also, you’ll need to transfer enough to purchase at least one bitcoin. The going rate can be found at: https://mtgox.com/, which hangs between 15-20 US dollars.

2.   Set up MtGox account and transfer funds from Dwolla account.

You’ve hung in there. Good work. Go to the Bitcoin exchange market: https://mtgox.com/
Now set up an account with that clever alphanumeric password.
Click on “add funds”. It’s on the left side of the page. You have a bunch of options. If you’re from another country, use one of these:

   

• Redeem MtGox code
      Liberty Reserve
      Cash or Check
      Euro Bank Transfer (Europe)
      Australian AUD Deposit (AU)
      International USD Wire

You’re on your own there if you're not using a Dwolla account.

For those in the US that used the Dwolla account, click on that radio button and click the hyperlinked number following “account number”.

This takes you to your Dwolla Account.

You’ll see steps numbered in blue circles. The first text box will have your MtGox account number in it: MTGOX#12345X. The default is to send money from your Dwolla account to this account, so you’re good. Step 2 is to check how much you want to transfer. That’s your call. Go ahead and complete your transfer.

3.  Use MtGox account to buy some bitcoins.

You’re ready to get some coins.  Click on “trade” in the left of the MtGox site. You’re asked for the number of bitcoins you want. You have to figure this out by looking at the going rate.
Look at what bitcoins are going for in the row showing the lowest asking price. Round up to the nearest cent. Divide the amount you want to spend by this going rate. That’s the amount you’re buying.

Now take the going rate number and put it in as your asking price. Note that your transaction wait will be shorter if you offer to pay a few cents higher than the lowest asking price. You can wait around if you want to save some pennies, or you can offer a few cents higher. You won’t necessarily pay the amount you offer. It’s just the max you’ll pay.

Click “Buy Bitcoins”.

You’ll see your dollar balance get lower and bitcoins get higher at the top right of your screen as the trades go through.

4.  Transfer bitcoins from your MtGox account to WikiLeaks, or transfer to an online wallet and donate from there.

You’ve got your bitcoins. Kickass. Time to spend them. You can (A) make your transfer to WikiLeaks now, or (B) you can hold your money in an online wallet and transfer it from there.

A.
Click on “Withdraw Funds”. Click on the number of bitcoins you want to donate. The number must be one or greater. Keep that in mind to avoid stranding $10 or so left in the account. Now put in WikiLeaks’ bitcoin address in the box: 1HB5XMLmzFVj8ALj6mfBsbifRoD4miY36v. (Bitcoin address link goes to WikiLeaks’ page showing its number)

WikiLeaks says thanks.

If you click on account history, then you can see the withdraw transaction, though it doesn’t say the destination.

B.
Okay, so you want to keep some leftover coin. The easiest option is to set up a virtual wallet. Go to https://www.mybitcoin.com/

Click on sign up, use your good password, and open your account. You have your own bitcoin address now to receive and transfer bitcoins.

Now go back to https://mtgox.com/. Click on “Withdraw Funds”. Click on the number of bitcoins you want to transfer to your online wallet. The number must be one or greater, and you might as well transfer it all if you’ve chosen this step. Now put in your bitcoin address from https://www.mybitcoin.com/ in the box. Transfer it on over.

Now you’re dealing with your coin at https://www.mybitcoin.com/. Click on “Send Payment”. Select however many bitcoins you want to give to WikiLeaks and insert their bitcoin address the box: 1HB5XMLmzFVj8ALj6mfBsbifRoD4miY36v. (Bitcoin address link goes to WikiLeaks’ page showing its number)

WikiLeaks says thanks. You can click on “view history” to see the exchange.

Way to be persistent! You must really like WikiLeaks. Good for you. And if you're wondering how else you can store/spend any leftover bitcoin, you may start your search here: http://www.weusecoins.com/getting-started.php.

[pathios]

http://www.moneybookers.com/app/

[rastiazul]

is this the official flattr account?

https://flattr.com/thing/212677/WikiLeaks-on-Flattr

[edo]

Thanks to all for this conversation, it's been very helpful. It takes persistence, but one eventually finds ways to contribute to WL. O:)