Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been released from prison after serving five years, following a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). “This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organizers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations,” Wikileaks […]
Bitcoin News
Reddit User Discovers 7zip File Possibly Linked to Julian Assange Hidden in Bitcoin Blockchain
According to a post on the Reddit community r/bitcoin, an old file was discovered that may be linked to Julian Assange, the whistleblower and founder of Wikileaks. The encrypted 7zip file is in the output script from a transaction that took place on Jan. 5, 2017, and was mined at block height 446,713.
Speculation Surrounds Purpose of 7zip File Called ‘Julianassange.Txt’ Found in Bitcoin Blockchain
Amid the thousands of inscriptions added to the Bitcoin blockchain via Ordinals, a 7zip file possibly linked to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was recently discovered. A Reddit user under the name “u/sprxzk34620” informed the r/bitcoin subreddit of the discovery. The post stated, “An encrypted 7zip file possibly related to Julian Assange is hidden in the Bitcoin blockchain.” The author also noted that the file could be obtained by splicing the pubkhash seg of all the output scripts from a specific transaction.
“The encrypted 7zip file contains a file named ‘Julianassange.txt,’ but attempts to crack the file have failed,” added the Reddit user. Commenters on the Reddit post asked why Assange would add this to the Bitcoin blockchain and some referred to speculation that he created a “dead man’s switch.” “It could be an encrypted link to the switch or files exposing secrets,” wrote one person. Others were doubtful and stated that a zip file named “Julianassange.txt” sounds like a hoax.
Coincidentally, the Jan. 5, 2017 transaction with the 7zip file occurred five days before Assange read the Bitcoin blockchain hash from block height 447,506 in a recorded video. At the time, many believed that the whistleblower used this tactic to prove he was alive. Despite being alive, Assange stated that he was not okay while he was confined in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
“Don’t take some cryptographic proof as evidence that I am okay,” he emphasized at the time. “I’m not. I have been held here for eight years. I haven’t been okay the entire time.” Since then, Assange’s Ecuadorian asylum was revoked and he was arrested on April 11, 2019, when police raided the embassy. The contents of the 7zip file are unknown until someone successfully cracks it, as it may not belong to or be associated with Assange at all.
The Reddit post written by u/sprxzk34620 ended with a heated discussion about whether adding arbitrary data to the Bitcoin blockchain through Ordinals was a legitimate practice, as it has sparked controversy among some bitcoin advocates. “If everyone is going to post stupid cat JPEGs on the blockchain, I can keep buying new hard drives for my node … F*** that sh**. Keep it compact folks,” one Redditor stressed.
What do you think the contents of the encrypted 7zip file could reveal? Let us know your thoughts about this subject in the comments section below.
Greek Artist Sends Pro-Freedom Message with Assange NFT Drop
Esteemed artist Miltos Manetas will tokenise 50% of his Julian Assange portraits, with the goal of raising awareness for the imprisoned activist. To further cement the blockchain connection, proceeds of the NFT drop will enter a DAO that forms part of the Venice Biennale Festival’s Internet Pavilion, a tech tent founded by Manetas in 2009.
Named This Cannot Be Erased, the special collection of 111 NFTs will grant buyers access to one-of-one digital versions of hand-painted portraits created by Manetas over the last two years. The collection will be divided into three phases during which 37 tokens are to be minted on the Materia blockchain, starting June 23.
This year’s Venice Biennale, now in its 59th year, runs from April 23 to November 27. While the majority of tents at the festival are reserved for countries, the Internet Pavilion is dedicated to Assange under the theme “AIIA – Assange is Internet Internet is Assange.”
Manetas Aims to Leverage #AssangePower
This Cannot Be Erased was produced by Manetas with support from long-time collaborator Howie B, a British composer who scored the original Internet Pavilion event thirteen years ago. Back then, Manetas and curator Jan Aman stirred controversy by inviting a number of people involved with activist website The Pirate Bay to Venice to inaugurate the Embassy of Piracy.
The latest collection develops Manetas’ interest in freedom in the internet age, with the artist having continually voiced his support for a man he regards as a close friend. The painter, whose digital works have previously appeared on VR platform Second Life, likens the silencing of the WikiLeaks founder to governments attempts to crush dissent on the World Wide Web, leading to the aforementioned theme for this year’s Internet Pavilion: Assange is Internet Internet is Assange.
The 111 NFTs in the collection are curated digital versions of the Assange portraits the artist created as part of the #AssangePower social media campaign. That blitz led Manetas to showcase his creations at Rome’s Palazzo delle Esposizioni and later Belgium’s IKOB Museum with an exhibition entitled Assange Situation – Emergency.
This year, the location of the Internet Pavilion is the vast, prison-like domain of The Gervasuti Foundation, which Manetas considers an appropriate setting given Assange’s ongoing incarceration. The Foundation is located at the north end of Via Garibaldi, on the site of the Gervasuti family artisan wood workshop.
Holders of This Cannot Be Erased will not only own a piece of art history; they’ll also become Trustees of AIIA, with the NFT designated a “currency” of a new internet “country” unbound by borders or barriers. As mentioned, money raised from the sale will go into the Internet Pavilion DAO, meaning art collectors can help decide which art projects the Pavilion funds in the future.
Assange in Limbo
Miltos Manetas has said that his goal is to raise awareness of Assange’s treatment, believing that he has been unjustly demonised for his whistleblowing activities. This view is echoed by human rights organisation Amnesty International, which calls the UK’s decision to extradite Assange to the US a “travesty of justice.”
NFT that make up the new collection last for a minute, during which time the holder sees the face of Assange, fracturing before rapidly coming back together, never to erase. Each artwork is accompanied by a musical theme composed by Howie B.
Assange is currently appealing the UK government’s extradition ruling. If the appeal fails, the activist could face a 175-year prison sentence if convicted in a US court.
Kim Dotcom Donates K.im Bitcoin Fees to Julian Assange Ahead of $8M IEO
n Kim Dotcom tells Assange to stay strong with Bitcoin fundingn
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Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange Arrested in London, Sites Bitcoin Donations Spike
n nn nn Julian Assange, co-founder of Wikileaks and early Bitcoin supporter, was arrested at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and faces extradition to the U.S. on conspiracy charges.Having spent the last seven years seeking asylum in the embassy, Assange has at last lost the support of the Ecuadorian government. He was arrested on April 11, 2019, for failing to appear in British courts. Originally in hiding due to a Swedish arrest warrant over allegations of sexua
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Julian Assange Urges Donors to Use Cryptocurrencies, Thwart Government
n Julian Assange has urged donors to make contributions to Wikileaks by using cryptocurrencies in order to skirt the financial blockade by national governments. NEWSn
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Russia Unveils ‘CryptoRuble’ As Assange Thanks US Govt For His 50000% Gain On Bitcoin
While the announcement means that Russia will enter the cryptocurrency world, it is in no way an affirmation or legalization of Bitcoin or any other …
BitNewz.net
Julian Assange Thanks US Government, Senators, For Forced Bitcoin Investment
n Julian Assange publicly thanks the US Govt for making him invest in Bitcoin in 2010 – now boasting a 50,000 return.n
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Julian Assange Supports Bitcoin As Ways to Free Catalonia From Spains Dictate
n Julian Assange says all freedom-loving people should support Bitcoin as an answer to government oppression.n
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