- 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:
This stuff is super harmful for the environment right now and the culture around it is mega obnoxious and harmful itself, I’ll have to cancel my Mozilla subscriptions since you’re encouraging this junk
— Cosmic Rabbit (@PaperMarioFan) December 31, 2021
Hi, I’m sure that whoever runs this account has no idea who I am, but I founded @mozilla and I’m here to say fuck you and fuck this. Everyone involved in the project should be witheringly ashamed of this decision to partner with planet-incinerating Ponzi grifters.
— j͕̠̦̪͕̓͛̊̾̄ͅw̧̧̳̪̘͊̋͗̾͢͠z̢̘̞͈̺̞̩̓̽̐̋͗̆̋̚͟͜ (@jwz) January 3, 2022
Mozilla took these criticisms on board and yesterday stated that it had reversed its decision, at least temporarily, in line with its “climate goals”:
So, starting today we are reviewing if and how our current policy on crypto donations fits with our climate goals. And as we conduct our review, we will pause the ability to donate cryptocurrency. 3/4
— Mozilla (@mozilla) January 6, 2022
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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