Popular social petition platform Change.org is urging supporters to install a screensaver that mines Monero on behalf of a for-profit charitable foundation.
Change.org Encourages Supporters to Mine Monero for Charity
The tool, called a “mining screensaver,” activates when a user leaves their computer for a period of time. As long as the device is powered on, the tool uses your PC's idle processor power to run software that mines Monero, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that cannot currently be mined using specialized mining hardware known as “ASIC miners.”
Still, a single user mining Monero on their PC won't be very profitable, but if thousands of supporters pool their funds to mine on Change.org's behalf, the organization could see big profits for its charitable sector.
The screensaver is currently only available for Windows devices, and it's not clear from the announcement whether Change.org will release it for other operating systems.
CPU-based Monero mining gains popularity
Change.org isn't the only organization that has asked supporters to mine cryptocurrency to contribute to social impact projects. As reported by CCN, UNICEF Australia has created a dedicated website called “The HopePage,” which uses visitors' computer processing power to mine Monero for the organization while they have the page open in their browser.
Commercial companies have also experimented with mining Monero, primarily through CoinHive, a JavaScript-based mining script. Earlier this year, Slate ran a trial that allowed readers to donate their computing power to mine Monero in exchange for an ad-free browsing experience.
However, criminals are also abusing these JavaScript-based tools, which can be easily hidden in browser extensions or injected directly into the source code of poorly secured websites.
Still, Change.org wants supporters to know that despite some nasty associations, the project is fair and safe for users.
“It's legal, it's safe, it's simple, and it has nothing to do with hacker activity, viruses, or other digital threats. It's actually an alternative economic system that could revolutionize the way money circulates.”[s] “It's good for society to take advantage of the system,” the group said. “So why not use it to create something good?”
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The post Change.org Launches Screensaver that Mine Monero for Charity appeared first on CCN.
