An organization that is working towards ensuring and preserving the openness digital society, Open Rights Group is now accepting donations in Bitcoin. The London, United Kingdom based organization claims that it exists to preserve and promote the rights of people in the digital age for which it gets funds from hundreds of people world around.
Now that it also accepts Bitcoin, the donors who wish to supports its fight against mass surveillance, censorship, web blocking, section 127, etc. and fighting for open data, open standards, copyright reforms, and data protection now pay in the digital currency. As the goals of the organization and Bitcoin supporters mingle well, it expects handsome donations.
Open Rights Group publishes the names of major donors. For instance, on its website, it says that during 2011-12 it received grants from FreeBMD, Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, Open Society Institute and Sigrid Rausing Trust. Adding Bitcoin onto its payment accepted page, the organization aims to attract techno savvy people to come forward and help in its fight.
In its announcement the organization says, “We are now accepting Bitcoins as payment, as an experiment, for you to join or for one off donations. We are using Coinbase to process Bitcoin payments. You need a Coinbase account to set up a subscription.” When the donors click to ‘Bitcoin’ option, they go onto to a form which asks specific information about them.
Bitcoin Donors Need to Give Personal Information
The ‘form’ has been criticized by the people who have shown their interest to pay the organization in Bitcoin as according to them it frustrated the entire goal of accepting the digital currency. Anonymity is a unique to Bitcoin and if the organization is asking for complete personal information about the donor, it’s meaningless.
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There are two sorts of assumption about the ‘Form’ on the website, one, either the organization does not know the scope and benefit of Bitcoin payments or there is some regulation that asks for personal information if donations exceed a set limit.
Also, there is no clarification from Open Rights Group why it placed the ‘form’ that asks for personal information from Bitcoin donors. Despite the drawback, the efforts from the organization to fight for a society built on laws, free from disproportionate, unaccountable surveillance and censorship is being appreciated by Bitcoin community.
The group stands for what Bitcoin supporters have been fighting for; like the public’s rights are acknowledged and upheld.
To contact the reporter of this story: Deepak Tiwari at deepak@forexminute.com
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