NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/9630

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Subject: INFO: European Counter Network online
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Via The NY Transfer News Service * All the News that Doesn't Fit

INFO: The European Counter Network, UK

from: ECN London

November 1992

(this text was produced for the international info-shop meeting
in Berlin. The first part is about the development of ECN in the
UK. The second part consists of notes from a critical discussion
of ECN)


ECN in the UK

In Spring 1992, a group of us in London began discussing
establishing a connection with the European Counter Network. The
initiative came from people involved in the 56a Info Shop and the
121 Bookshop in south London. This is a report of our progress
so far.

Where we are now

The situation at present is that we have an IBM PC clone, a
modem, and telix software, which allows us to call other groups
in the ECN and exchange information. We do not yet have a
bulletin board system however, which mean that people can only
call us up if they first contact us to arrange a time to make a
connection.

To date we have had contact with APS (Amsterdam), Infoladen Omega
(Berlin) and ECN (Padova). With Berlin and Padova we have now
arranged a regular connection time, when they call us to exchange
information. Other groups can get access to our files via these
nodes. Our files are in English, ASCII format, compressed with
PKZIP. Filenames begin with the letters 'UK'. We can receive
files in English, Italian, or German.

Circulating information

We try to systematically collect information about struggles in
Britain and Ireland to circulate in the ECN. Sometimes we
circulate information about other countries if we think it might
not otherwise be available to other ECN users.

We have circulated information about anti-fascism, lesbian and
gay struggles, squatting, prisoners, workers' struggles, and so
on.

We also try to circulate information we have received from the
ECN within the UK. In May 1992 we produced a 22 page Info
Bulletin, which included news of different struggles around the
world, including news from the ECN. We plan to produce further
issues of this bulletin, although at the moment we are having
difficulty getting it printed (the duplicator we use is broken,
and we have no money!).

We helped to organize an anti-Columbus demo in October.
Information from the ECN about similar struggles in other
countries was used in a leaflet distributed during the demo. We
also produced a special 6 page bulletin for a '500 years of
resistance' conference in July.

The next step

A priority for us is to set up a network within Britain, so that
different groups around the country can communicate with each
other. We organised a meeting at the Anarchist bookfair in London
in October where we discussed this project. Groups from several
towns and cities expressed an interest in setting up such a
network.

Another collective in London is establishing a bulletin board
called Fast Breeder (address: BM Jed, London WC1N 3XX). This aims
to "combine an info and news service for anyone interested or
active in grass roots political activity and any kind of
alternative, subversive or experimental culture".

We are working with Fast Breeder with the aim of establishing ECN
as part of this project. Groups within the UK will be able to use
Fast Breeder to exchange information, and other ECN groups will
be able to send and receive information at any time, since this
will be a 24 hour bulletin board.

Fast Breeder should be in operation by March 1992. The main
problem (as always) is raising money to pay for the project-
about 1000 is needed.

contact:

56a Info Group/ ECN London, 56 Crampton Street, London
SE17.


* SOME NOTES ON THE ECN

We think that our links with the ECN have already strengthened
our sense of being part of an international movement, and have
greatly speeded up the circulation of information. But we are
also aware of potential problems with the ECN that need to be
avoided.

- Health problems: computers were developed by capital to process
information for capital. The health of those using computers
(traditionally mainly women office workers) is a less important
consideration in computer design.

Computers can be put to subversive use, but this does not stop
them being bad for our health! Those involved with the ECN need
to be aware of the dangers of Repetitive Strain Injury and other
computer-related health problems.

- New hierarchies: in groups in which technology is central, it
is very easy for new hierarchies of specialists to emerge. Often
there will be a few individuals who become 'experts' in the
technology, while the others leave the computer work to them (and
since in society men are socialised to look after machines, these
experts are more likely to be men). All groups using the ECN
should take steps to minimise this division of labour, through
skill sharing and training of people with little experience.

- Techno-fetishism: People can become too obsessed with
technology as an end in itself. We need to remember that the ECN
is only a tool to enable people to communicate with each other;
it is no substitute for real human contact.

Our nightmare is of the ECN becoming a sort of simulated
international radical movement, in which all communication is
mediated by machines, and in which information circulates
endlessly between computers without being put back into a human
context.

- Information overload: We are already finding that we are
receiving more information than we can use. When ECN groups are
preparing information to circulate internationally, it would be
useful if they could prepare documents summarising what's going
on in a particular struggle. For instance if there is a big
struggle going on somewhere it can be very interesting to receive
lots of files looking at different local aspects of it. But it
would also be good to have one file containing background
information and identifying some of the most important points,
so that people remote from this struggle can get a better
understanding of it.

- Who uses information? Whatever the quality of the information
circulating within ECN, it is useless unless people get to read
it. We need to think of ways in which we can distribute this
information to people involved in the various social movements.

For instance at the moment there are strikes and other struggles
against austerity going on in different parts of Europe and
beyond. For miners, health workers, and others involved in such
struggles in the UK it might be very interesting to know about
similar movements elsewhere (e.g. Italy, Greece). The ECN can be
used to circulate such information, which not only helps to
create an awareness of the international situation we face, but
also prepares the ground for international co-ordination of
struggles.

As well as workplace struggles, there are many more examples of
simultaneous movements in different countries, such as anti-
fascist, refugees' and housing struggles.


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