With its announcement, the Charlotte-based bank joins a fray that has increased financial pressure on the website that released thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables but has also prompted cyber attacks on businesses that cut ties with the activist site.
The move comes as WikiLeaks says it's preparing a release of information on banks, which could include documents it says it has on Bank of America.
The bank released a statement Saturday saying it will no longer process any transactions that it believes are intended for the site.
"This decision is based upon our reasonable belief that WikiLeaks may be engaged in activities that are, among other things, inconsistent with our internal policies for processing payments," the bank said.
Other Internet companies and financial institutions- including MasterCard Inc., Visa Inc., PayPal Inc. and Amazon.com - also have cut ties with WikiLeaks, hurting the site's ability to accept donations and support publishing efforts.
The websites of some companies perceived as trying to stifle WikiLeaks have come under cyber attack in recent weeks by hackers who support its mission. WikiLeaks has said it does not sanction the hackers' work, which has caused some sites to temporarily go out of service.
WikiLeaks responded to Bank of America's announcement with a Twitter message urging supporters to stop doing business with the bank.
"We ask that all people who love freedom close out their accounts at Bank of America," WikiLeaks said in its posting Saturday. It also called on businesses to switch funds from the bank.
In an interview with CNBC on Friday, the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, said his organization has plans to soon release information about banks, and he told Forbes magazine last month that the data would show "unethical practices."
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said a criminal investigation of WikiLeaks is under way. Assange said Friday he fears that the United States is preparing to indict him.
This article appeared on page A - 12 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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