WikiLeaks Uploads Afghan War Logs to Bitcoin Blockchain

• Preserving Afghan War Records on the Bitcoin Blockchain
• Collaboration between WikiLeaks, OrdinalsBot and Project Spartacus
• Initiative reinforces the historic relationship between WikiLeaks and Bitcoin

WikiLeaks, in collaboration with startup OrdinalsBot and the anonymous group of Bitcoin enthusiasts known as Project Spartacus, is working to preserve the “Afghan War Diary” on the Bitcoin blockchain via the Ordinals protocol. The initiative aims to ensure that the records of the war in Afghanistan remain immutable and accessible for future generations.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his supporters launched "Project Spartacus" to mint 76,911 Afghan war log files into Bitcoin inscriptions on the Ordinals to ensure that these records are preserved forever. These files record confidential content in US military operations,…

- Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) December 5, 2024

Gabriel Shipton, chairman of the Assange campaign, highlighted the importance of storing this data on the blockchain: “Obviously, having all this data stored on-chain, immutable forever, is very important for our society to learn from our mistakes.” He emphasized that Julian Assange has always sought to publish secrets so that people can understand events and correct their institutions and society.

The “Afghan War Diary,” also known as the “Afghan War Logs,” is a collection of more than 91.000 U.S. military documents spanning the period from 2004 to 2010. These records, leaked to WikiLeaks by Chelsea Manning in July 2010, provide insights into military operations, intelligence, covert missions, and civilian casualties during the war in Afghanistan. The release of these documents has changed public perception of the conflict and raised questions about transparency and the nature of modern warfare.

As of October 2023, around 2.000 of these records had been inscribed on the blockchain during the initial phase of the project, which was later halted. Starting on December 12, OrdinalsBot will relaunch the effort, allowing users to participate in minting the “Afghan War Diary” in batches of 1, 5, 20, 50 or 100 articles. Shipton noted that having this information on the Bitcoin blockchain elevates the legacy of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks to a new level, ensuring that the “Afghan War Diary” does not rely on a service that could be shut down.

Project Spartacus provides a public interface for anyone to sign up for a war registry. There are no fees associated with this action, except for the network fees required for any transaction submitted to the Bitcoin network. The page also features a “donate” button, allowing users to send bitcoin to Assange’s cause.

For Shipton, bringing the “Afghan War Diary” to Bitcoin follows a long relationship between WikiLeaks and cryptocurrency, which began in the early days of crypto, when WikiLeaks began accepting donations in Bitcoin. One of Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto’s last posts before he disappeared in 2010 was about WikiLeaks and the group turning to Bitcoin after its financial services were cut off.

In 2017, after rumors of his death, Assange refuted them by reading the hash of the last Bitcoin block during an online lecture. Shipton noted that WikiLeaks was able to continue paying for its servers and staff in Bitcoin despite a global banking blockade, demonstrating Bitcoin's resilience to state-level attacks and its ability to maintain publication.