Payments for WikiLeaks will no longer be processed by Bank of America Corp, following the release of US diplomatic documents which irritated the American administration.
With this move the largest American bank by assets joins an increasing group of financial services providers counting so far Visa Europe, PayPal and MasterCard, which already stopped processing all payments dedicated to WikiLeaks. The financial services companies have joined the crackdown against WikiLeaks after the organization’s announcement that the following batch of documents they will release will contain information on one of the largest US banks, which many suspect that bank to be Bank of America.
The Bank of America announcement said that they based their decision on a sensible belief that the organization’s activities are inconsistent the bank’s internal policies.
Later on Saturday after the bank’s announcement, WikiLeaks urged its supporters via Twitter to leave the bank, hinting that people should move their financial assets to a safer organization.
In response to the crackdown against WikiLeaks, cyber supporters of the organization have been attacking the companies that have joined official efforts to stop the organization’s activities.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was recently released on bail in Britain and he is currently fighting extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning in relation to supposed sexual offences. He also told the media that he fears extradition to the US, where the prosecution intends to use the US Espionage Act and all other available laws to take legal action against WikiLeaks.