In 1995, the global feminist movement launched a dramatic protest against the Chinese government’s attempt to move the NGO Forum for the Beijing Women’s Conference to the remote location of Huairou. The first international feminist protest to rely on digital technology, this unprecedented mass action by women throughout the world exposed both the promise and the pitfalls of using faxes, email, and the internet to rally a social movement around a common cause. Over the course of the protest, the same technology that linked feminists across national boundaries and enabled them to conduct an effective campaign had the potential to exacerbate power differentials between them.
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