Mozilla Rows Back on Cryptocurrency Donations

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  • Mozilla has rowed back on its acceptance of cryptocurrency donations
  • A huge backlash followed Mozilla’s announcement, with climate concerns once again the chief worry
  • The backlash shows the power of mainstream media outlets to influence opinion

Mozilla has rowed back on its decision to allow donations in cryptocurrencies following an outcry from some big names behind the foundation and the various projects in its stable. Mozilla, most famous for its Firefox web browser, announced last week that it would accept cryptocurrency donations through Bitpay, which was met by the kind of instant and furious backlash that, oddly, was not seen when Airbnb said that it was considering accepting cryptocurrencies.

Mozilla Stokes the Fires of Hell With Bitpay Deal

Mozilla announced on December 31 that donations could be made in cryptocurrencies through Bitpay, which, with Mozilla being a bit hitter in the world of the internet, didn’t come as a surprise. The reaction, however, did, with a large number of responses offering their concerns over cryptocurrencies’ impact on climate change, something that is negligible compared to online video streaming, the meat and dairy industry, and so on:

Mozilla took these criticisms on board and yesterday stated that it had reversed its decision, at least temporarily, in line with its “climate goals”:

Mainstream Media Impact Still Being Felt

This response highlights two things – the impact of the lies spread by anti-crypto mainstream media outlets over the last year and the ignorance of the majority of those complaining about Mozilla’s move. The crypto space has been fighting such FUD for years now, and with the exodus of crypto mining from China in favour of energy efficient plants, in particular in the U.S., the situation is better than ever.

Clearly, though, this message isn’t getting through, just like the message that not all cryptocurrencies use the proof-of-work consensus mechanism so despised by mainstream media. Sadly, it seems that the crypto space still has a way to go before the masses will be convinced of its benefits. As the saying goes, we’re still early.

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