In a groundbreaking move to preserve historical documents, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and supporters are set to launch Project Spartacus on December 12, an initiative that will permanently record the Afghan War Diary on the Bitcoin blockchain.
The project aims to mint 76,911 files from the "Afghan War Diary 2004-2010" as Bitcoin inscriptions using OrdinalsBot technology. These documents, originally released in 2010, contain detailed reports of US military operations, including accounts of civilian casualties and interrogation methods during the Afghan war.
Project Spartacus, supported by Assange Campaign chairman Gabriel Shipton, will offer free minting through ProjectSpartacus.org. Following the initial release, users can participate in minting through OrdinalsBot's marketplace, Trio.
OrdinalsBot founder Toby Lewis anticipates an extended minting process due to the massive scale of the project, noting it will likely span multiple blockchain blocks. Lewis emphasized that the initiative is separate from fundraising efforts for Assange and that only Bitcoin miners will receive compensation for processing the inscriptions.
The move to preserve these documents on the blockchain comes as a strategy to protect access to this sensitive historical information. The Afghan War Diary, comprising over 91,000 reports, represents one of WikiLeaks' most notable releases.
This blockchain preservation effort marks another chapter in WikiLeaks' relationship with Bitcoin. In 2010, when major financial institutions blocked payments to WikiLeaks, Assange considered using Bitcoin for fundraising. However, Bitcoin's creator Satoshi Nakamoto opposed this idea, worried about potential negative impacts on the then-nascent cryptocurrency.
The project represents a new approach to safeguarding controversial historical documents, using blockchain technology to create an immutable record that cannot be altered or deleted.