WikiLeaks was one of the early cryptocurrency payment adopters to help put Bitcoin on the map. During a time of fundraising woes, the acceptance of Bitcoin has made a big impact for this site. The organization has now taken crypto donations a step further by embracing CryptoKitties. It’s a very interesting development, and it makes a lot of sense.
WikiLeaks CryptoKitties are a Thing now
Although the CryptoKitties project is still somewhat controversial right now, there is also merit to this project. When the CryptoKitties platform launched initially, it became evident pretty quickly the project had crippled the Ethereum blockchain once again. So many people showed an interest in buying blockchain-based virtual kittens that they caused the Ethereum blockchain to slow down. It wasn’t the first time the Ethereum blockchain had suffered such issues, though.
Now that everything has calmed down again, it’s a good time to explore what else the CryptoKitties project can bring to the table. It’s obvious these virtual cats are attractive to the general public. This is partially because every single kitten is unique and it is impossible to replicate them. This also means they can be used for marketing purposes, or in the case of WikiLeaks, as a new donation tool. The two purebred WikiLeaks CryptoKitties have unique offspring which is now available for sale.
WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange commented on this development as follows:
Cryptography is not only transforming the global financial system, it is generating creative innovation in a vast array of human interaction. WikiLeaks likes cats and wants to help bring cryptocurrencies and smart contracts into the mainstream. Donors and crypto-kitty enthusiasts can empower WikiLeaks by bidding for one of our cute purebred cryptographic kittens. Newcomers will learn about the blockchain, acquire their very first cryptocurrency, and potentially even make a profit.
Although people may think this is a pretty silly project, there is a lot of merit to these CryptoKitties. The WikiLeaks team will donate two first-generation virtual cats to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The Trump Tender Tabby and Clinton Console Kitty certainly look pretty interesting and unique. Moreover, their values are as high as several thousands of dollars, which goes to show this project shouldn’t be dismissed automatically.
Mr. and Mrs. WikiLeaks are Generation 0 CryptoKitties. The goal is for WikiLeaks to continue breeding one kitten per week after the Christmas litter of 10. Of these 10 kittens, only eight will be for sale. Every purchase will serve as a direct donation to the WikiLeaks cause and allow the team to keep on thriving. Contrary to what some people would expect, the combined CryptoKitties in circulation are worth around US$17 million right now. In general, limited edition cats sell for six figures pretty easily, and it will be interesting to see how the WikiLeaks CryptoKitties fare in this regard.
As one would expect, these unique cats all have interesting names. Ranging from CableGate Kitty to Iraq War Kitty and CIA Vault7 Kitty to Kremlin Skying Kitty, they all look adorable and are extremely collectible. Most of these cats can be purchased for a few hundred dollars, which is pretty cheap, all things considered. Approaching this innovative concept may be a very smart decision by WikiLeaks in the long run. It’s evident that CryptoKitties are here to stay, and that new and interesting breeds will be created over time.
