Such groups are going to have to act soon if they are to stake a claim while the Internet is in its infancy. Fortunately a number of such groups have been using the new technologies to advance their work around the world for quite a while. These groups have been quick to realise the value of electronic networking, both within an organisation and between organisations. One questioner asks the group, who can be separated by hundreds or thousands of miles, and any answers or advice from other participants are received and shared by all. The international reach and speed of e-mail makes it ideal for getting through urgent information.
Journalists increasingly use the system to file reports.
It is apt then that the Canadian Committee to Protect Journalists has set up a rapid response e-mail system which receives and circulates information on cases of human rights abuses against journalists, writers, and academics worldwide. Such information is distributed to network members, governments, and local media faster and more cheaply than by using fax and telex. The Samaritans in the UK have a pilot e-mail project allowing anonymous calls for help. Many organisations use e-mail to communicate with their members and activists, particularly in the US where computers in the home are common. The Communications Workers of America, perhaps not surprisingly, coordinate their union activities among members on a dedicated network.