**15 Years Ago Today, Satoshi Angered After WikiLeaks Used Bitcoin for Donations**
On December 11, 2010, Satoshi Nakamoto was angry and requested WikiLeaks not to use Bitcoin for donations.
“No, do not ‘challenge.’ This project needs to develop gradually so that its software can be strengthened over time. I made this request to WikiLeaks not to attempt to use Bitcoin,” said Satoshi.
According to Satoshi, the Bitcoin community was still “small and in beta stage,” so excessive public scrutiny could destroy the network in its early phase.
“It would be nice to get this attention in another context. WikiLeaks has kicked the hornet's nest and the swarm is headed our way,” said Satoshi.
In December 2010, most payment service providers blocked donations to WikiLeaks. They then used Bitcoin as an alternative.
Nevertheless, as the Bitcoin ecosystem evolved, WikiLeaks subsequently received over 4,000 BTC in donations, which at one point was worth over US$45 million.
