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Lovers of Tor can now sprinkle Bitcoins on its developers as thanks

You mean, the project wasn't already accepting the trendy crypto-currency?

The folks behind web privacy tool Tor will now accept donations in Bitcoins.

The project, which attempts to anonymize connections across the internet, will team up with payment biz Bitpay to allow users to donate using the crypto-currency; BTC contributions will be ultimately converted into dollars for the developers' coffers.

"Our decision to accept Bitcoins has been well thought out and researched from a financial accounting perspective with an eye on passing our required annual A-133 audit," the Tor Project announced.

"We believe we are the first US 501(c)3 non-profit organization to test acceptance of Bitcoins and attempt to pass the US Government A-133 Audit Standard."

The donations will be used to build and maintain the infrastructure of the public Tor network, we're told. Designed, ideally, as a secure means for routing communications over the the web, the Tor platform is popular among privacy advocates and anyone else who simply doesn't want to be easily traced online. But security experts warn that simply installing Tor is not enough to protect oneself on the internet.

The group said that, in addition to Bitcoins, it also accepts cash via PayPal, Amazon and Givv as well as traditional check and money order payments.

The announcement comes as speculation continues over the future of Bitcoins. In China, markets have plummeted amid a government ban on Bitcoin transactions, but the overall global USD-BTC exchange rate remains high. Some backers predict the currency will hit $40,000 per 'coin in the near future. ®

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