Wikipedia Co-Founder Says Crypto Integration Would Be ‘Completely Insane’

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales said Friday he has not seen a single practical use-case to convince him to integrate cryptocurrencies or blockchain into the platform.

Speaking at the CoinGeek Conference in London, Jimmy Wales said cryptocurrencies would not add anything useful to Wikipedia. In fact, he believed it would prove detrimental to its vision and ultimately damage the unique way in which the platform operates.

Speaking opposite Craig Wright, Wales said he tried to distinguish between the ideological and practical nature of cryptocurrencies. Wales has already turned down proposals from advocates, who asked him to consider making it possible for users to directly reward content creators and editors with digital assets.

“This is a really bad idea. It’s an idea that doesn’t actually work,” Wales said. “If you take something that is a bad idea and put it on the blockchain, that doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea.”

Wikipedia relies on volunteer experts and enthusiasts to add…