Visa/MasterCard/WikiLeaks row escalates

WikiLeaks’s payment provider, DataCell, says that it is once again able to accept credit card payments. This comes seven months after Visa Europe and MasterCard blocked donations to the whistle blower’s website. Visa, however, has denied it has reinstated DataCell.

At the weekend, WikiLeaks announced that it was to sue MasterCard and Visa for blocking donations. It now appears that DataCell has contracted with an alternative payment processor, opening the gateway for payments with Visa and MasterCard, and now also with American Express.

In a statement, Datacell said: “We choose to interpret this, as that Visa and Mastercard has in fact given in to our demand that the payment services was reinstated. In other words DataCell is happy to report that we are now able again to process donations to Wikileaks (and that we in general are able to receive payments via international credit cards for our professional services).”

Visa denied it had given into the company’s demands and countered that it was looking to shutdown the alternative route.

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