Wikileaks stops publishing classified files

WHISTLE-BLOWING WEB SITE Wikileaks has stopped publishing classified files and diplomatic cables after receiving a major hit to its revenue.

The founder of the web site, Julian Assange revealed that Wikileaks was forced to put an end to its mission to share secret files with the world and instead focus on raising funds so that it can return to its normal operations.

He said that Bank of America, Visa, Mastercard, Paypal and Western Union had enforced a blockade against Wikileaks last December, which he claims destroyed 95 per cent of its revenue. "A handful of US finance companies cannot be allowed to decide how the whole world votes with its pocket," he added, according to the BBC.

Assange said that Wikileaks had lost tens of millions of dollars in donations due to the blockade and said it will have to focus on aggressively fundraising to ensure its survival. With many payment options closed to it this will be a lot more difficult to achieve.

Wikileaks will also take pre-litigation action against the blockade in Brussels, Iceland, Denmark, the UK, the US and Australia. It has lodged an anti-trust complaint with the European Commission in hopes of putting an end to the blockade, which it claims is arbitrary and unlawful.

The banks and payment firms claim that Wikileaks violated their terms and conditions by publishing the files, which they believe broke US laws.

The web site will reopen for submissions of classified documents on 28 November, making this fund-raising break a month long endeavour, but that date could be extended if donations are not as forthcoming as Wikileaks hopes. µ