AssangeDAO Raises $38M to Aid WikiLeaks Founder's Court Battle

A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that is raising money to support whistleblower Julian Assange's defense has collected a record-breaking 12,350 ether ($38 million), according to fundraising platform Juicebox.

• AssangeDAO started to accept donations on Thursday and has already surpassed ConstitutionDAO, which tried to buy the U.S. Constitution at an auction.
• According to its website, the DAO is a group of "cypherpunks" who started to form on Dec. 10, when a court in the U.K. ruled that Assange can be extradited to the U.S., where he faces 175 years in prison.
• Earlier this year, the WikiLeaks founder was given the right to request the U.K. Supreme Court block his extradition to the U.S., where he would face criminal charges under the Espionage Act for his role in obtaining and publishing classified government documents.
• The group will use the proceeds to bid on a non-fungible token artwork created by Assange and digital artist Pak. The piece, called "Clock 1/1," is a muted clock that counts the days that Assange has spent behind bars.
• The artwork proceeds will support Assange's defense through the Hamburg, Germany-based nonprofit Wau Holland Foundation, according to a Pak interview with art publication ArtNet.
• The DAO bid 2,000 ether on Pak's artwork on Tuesday.

Read more: ConstitutionDAO Outbid for First Printing of America’s Founding Document in Sotheby’s Auction