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- Topic 46 History of APC igc:efarwell apc.documents 10:05 pm Oct 4,
- 1992
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- HISTORY OF APC
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- Human rights workers, environmentalists and other social change activists have
- been developing computer networks to enhance their ability to organize and
- cooperate with others who share their commitments.
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- In 1985, the Institute for Global Communications (IGC) began operating PeaceNet
- as a means of aiding the peace movement in the United States. Soon thereafter
- EcoNet was added for environmentalists. In 1986, GreenNet started up in England,
- followed quickly by PeaceNet Sweden (now NordNet) in Sweden, and Web in Canada
- in 1987.
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- A series of meetings between representatives of GreenNet and IGC during late
- 1986 and 1987 gave rise to the formation of an "Association for Progressive
- Communications". At that time, GreenNet and IGC made their first exchange of
- electronic mail and conferences, thus initiating regular trans-Atlantic
- networking.
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- More grassroots national and regional networks were added to these linked
- systems in 1989: Nicarao in Nicaragua, AlterNex in Brazil, and Pegasus in
- Australia. At an Interdoc conference in 1989, representatives of seven
- prospective member networks - GreenNet, IGC, Web, AlterNex, Pegasus, Nicarao,
- and NordNet - discussed formalising this growing body of linked networks.
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- The directors of these seven networks met in May of 1990 to formally launch the
- Association for Progressive Communications (APC) as an international non-profit
- secretariat dedicated to facilitating progressive social change through
- cooperative local and global computer networking.
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- In 1991, Chasque in Uruguay, GlasNet in Russia, and ComLink in Germany joined
- APC. In July of 1992, Ecuanex in Ecuador became the eleventh APC member network.
- As of September, 1992, there are over 16,000 individuals and organizations in 94
- countries using the APC Networks.
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- Under the auspices of the Information Strategy Project (ISP/Rio) and led by the
- Brazilian member network AlterNex, APC served as a primary provider of
- telecommunications services at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
- APC has been selected to provide similar services at the United Nations Human
- Rights conference in Vienna, Austria, in June of 1993.
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