Cryptocurrencies, which were created for the purpose of tackling global financial and banking related issues, have now become a tool for multiple purposes. Interestingly, a number of social and public organizations have begun to accept cryptocurrencies for charitable purposes. The latest name to do so is that of Change.org - which has created a cryptocurrency mining screensaver, which will mine for Monero (XMR) cryptocurrencies while your PC is idle.
Change.org, for those who may not be aware, is a platform for social petitioning where petitioners can get together and rally behind a cause, virtually. The cryptocurrencies that this change.org-made screensaver will mine will be used to fund the Change.org Foundation. For the purpose of the development of this screensaver, Change.org has teamed up with Traceylocke Brazil - a marketing agency.
The company has stated that this screensaver program “ensures that your computer mines cryptocurrency when you’re not using it,” and “The amount you earn is directly donated to the Change.org Foundation.” The estimates of this agency claim that if 10,000 users make use of this cryptocurrency mining screensaver for a month, 12 hours a day, they would be able to generate funds worth $10,000.
As of this writing, this cryptocurrency mining screensaver from Change.org has only been developed for the Windows platform and no hint has been given if the application would be made available for other platforms as well. It is an open-source program which has been centered around Monero. This raises suspicion if the program has been built on the lines of the Coinhive cryptocurrency mining script - something that has been in the news for a number of wrong reasons!
The Coinhive API has been used in the past to create some malicious pieces of codes which give rise to ‘cryptojacking’ - where users mine for cryptocurrencies unintentionally while their browser is open. Nevertheless, if Change.org is putting it to a good use, it is a good news for the cryptocurrency community at large.
Crypto-Charity on the Rise
Over the past few years, a number of social and charity-based organizations have been looking forward to cryptocurrencies as a means of generating funds. This includes the likes of Wikileaks Foundation - which raises funds for the purpose of public awareness, to the likes of UNICEF - which has been frequently coming out with innovative programs which motivate people to mine cryptocurrencies for a charitable cause.
In recent memory, UNICEF’s 'Game Chaingers' campaign to get gamers to donate for charity, as well as their ‘Hopepage’ campaign in Australia have both been a major success. Moreover, when it comes to cryptocurrency and charity, who can ever forget The Pineapple Fund - where an anonymous cryptocurrency philanthropist donated millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies to charity organizations from various sectors from across the world.
Change.org is the latest name in this list of organizations which are looking forward to use cryptocurrencies to generate funds for a cause. On their website, Change.org describes cryptocurrencies as “an alternative economic system that has the potential to revolutionize the way money circulate[s].”