Wikileaks supporters briefly regained access to Visa Inc.’s payment gateway in a series of rapid midweek developments, but by July 8 the gateway closed again, observers say.
“The gateway was in action for some days,” Wikileaks’ and DataCell’s attorney, Sveinn Andri Sveinsson, tells PaymentsSource in a phone interview, adding that “some lack of communication” within Visa may have led to the gateway’s temporary opening. Visa last year instituted a policy blocking Wikileaks payments.
The latest developments began when DataCell, a Web-hosting service based in Iceland, secured a Wikileaks payments-processing contract with Iceland-based payments processor Valitor. Valitor opened the gateway, only to close it on instructions from “international card companies,” according to an online statement from DataCell.
Sveinsson says Wikileaks and Datacell now plan to file a complaint with the Icelandic Financial Authority asking that Valitor has its payment-processing license revoked.
“Valitor has terminated payment services with DataCell,” Valitor spokeswoman Jónína Ingvadóttir confirmed in an email sent to PaymentsSource July 8. “The reason for the termination is that yesterday it was discovered that DataCell was using Valitor’s services to collect contributions for Wikileaks.
“Valitor was not informed that DataCell would be conducting these activities when their business agreement was made. International card brand companies, Visa EU and MasterCard, do not accept the conduct of service such as DataCell is offering Wikileaks.”
Visa Europe Ltd. on July 8 confirmed the incident.
"An acquirer briefly accepted payments on a merchant site linked to WikiLeaks. As soon as this came to our attention, action was taken with the suspension of Visa payment acceptance to the site remaining in place,” Visa Europe said in a statement.
Wikileaks had previously notified Visa and MasterCard of its intention to file a complaint July 7 with the European Commission protesting the payment blockade (
Sveinsson says Wikileaks decided to hold off when it appeared the gateway had been reopened, though he and his clients still held an “informal meeting” with members of the Commission July 7. He says Wikileaks now plans to file its complaint early next week.
DataCell at one point July 7 said Wikileaks was accepting donations transmitted via Visa, MasterCard Worldwide, and for the first time, American Express Co., but MasterCard and Amex deny it.
MasterCard has not accepted any Wikileaks payments since December, when it, too, instituted a policy to block them, MasterCard spokesperson James Issokson tells PaymentsSource via email.
"MasterCard’s position on acceptance has not changed,” he says.
Amex also says its policies forbid such payments.
“DataCell is not authorized to process the donations described on its website on the American Express network,” American Express spokeswoman Christine Elliott tells PaymentsSource via email.
What do you think about this? Send us your feedback.
