Mozilla backed out of its stance on accepting cryptocurrency donations after massive backlash.
The browser's maker, which operates as a nonprofit organization, recently tweeted a reminder that users can donate surplus or otherwise unwanted cryptocurrency to help cover its running costs.
However, it has sparked an impressively active discussion about the environmental and social impact of cryptocurrencies, and Mozilla now says it is "going to take action," particularly on its climate goals.
crypto reaction
"Last week we tweeted a reminder that Mozilla supports cryptocurrency donations. This has led to an essential discussion about the environmental impact of cryptocurrencies. We are listening and taking action," the official Mozilla account tweeted.
“Decentralized web technology remains a major area to explore, but a lot has changed since we started accepting crypto donations. So, starting today, we will look at whether and how our current cryptocurrency donation policy aligns with our climate goals. And throughout our review, we're going to suspend the ability to donate cryptocurrency."
“In the spirit of open source, it is going to be a transparent process and we will share regular updates,” the company added. "We look forward to having this talk and appreciate our community for letting us know about it."
The initial removal sparked widespread opposition online, most notably from Mozilla co-founder Jamie Zawinski, who criticized the company in a reply.
"Everyone involved in the project should be embarrassed by this resolve to partner with the Ponzi scammers who are burning the planet," Zawinski wrote, with Peter Lins, who helped build Gecko, the Mozilla-backed engine after Mozilla Firefox, arguing that Mozilla is "built to be better than this".
Mozilla began accepting cryptocurrency donations in XNUMX, when it opened its wallet to Bitcoin, and Ethereum and even Dogecoin are now supported after the company's partnership with donation platform BitPay.
Zawinski then responded to Mozilla's resolution in a personal weblog post, noting that he was delighted at "whatever role I played in getting this awful resolution reversed."
“Cryptocurrencies are not only an apocalyptic ecological disaster and an insane pyramid scheme, but they are also incredibly toxic to the open web, another ideal that Mozilla previously supported,” he added. "So I hope that after you've 'done your exam', the conclusion you come to is the obvious one: 'Bury it in the desert'. Wear gloves."