Concerns have been raised by analysts at SlowMist regarding a potential “soft rug pull” on March 10th. This came after a transaction of 100 Ether (ETH) from an AssangeDAO address went to a recipient that appears to be associated with the decentralized autonomous organization. SlowMist, a blockchain forensics firm, advised investors to exercise caution and thoroughly research the organization before engaging with it, as the true intentions of AssangeDAO remain unclear.
AssangeDAO gained prominence in 2022 for its advocacy of Julian Assange’s freedom. Assange, an Australian activist known for creating WikiLeaks, a platform dedicated to publishing classified information from undisclosed sources, faced extradition following a high court ruling in the United Kingdom. In response, supporters launched AssangeDAO, which received over $53 million in cryptocurrency contributions, including a donation from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.
The funds raised by AssangeDAO were intended to bid on a unique non-fungible token (NFT) called “Censored” by digital artist Pak in collaboration with Assange. The proceeds from the sale were supposed to be used for Assange’s defense fund and awareness campaigns related to his extradition battle with the United States.
AssangeDAO’s fundraising efforts on the community funding platform Juicebox surpassed those of ConstitutionDAO, which raised $49 million in late 2021 to bid on a copy of the first edition print copy of the United States Constitution.
However, collaborative analysis by SlowMist and RescuETH discovered that AssangeDAO had transferred most of its funds to multiple addresses, including some associated with cryptocurrency exchanges like Kraken and Coinbase. Furthermore, the organization had sent over 1,000 Ether to unidentified smart contracts, dispersing the funds among various addresses. AssangeDAO had not made any public statements regarding these transfers at the time of publication.
The SlowMist analysts emphasized the importance of transparency in DAO operations, particularly in light of the recent transfers that have raised questions about the final destination of the funds.
On November 8, 2023, AssangeDAO announced that 16 members of the U.S. Congress had signed a letter urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to drop the charges against Assange. Additionally, on March 26, a U.K. court granted Assange permission to appeal his extradition to the United States.
This article explores the potential applications of zero-knowledge proofs beyond the field of cryptocurrency, highlighting their usefulness in areas such as voting and finance.