Karen Banks facts for kids
Karen Banks is a British computer expert who helped connect many people around the world to the internet. She was recognized for her important work and was added to the Internet Hall of Fame in 2013. This special honor is given to people who have made a huge difference in how the internet works globally.
In the 1990s, Karen Banks played a key role in making the internet available in places where it was hard to get. She managed something called GnFido for GreenNet, which was a non-profit organization that helped people get online. GnFido used a clever method called "store and forward." Imagine sending a letter: you write it, it's stored, and then it's sent when the mail truck is ready. GnFido worked similarly for internet messages, sending them in batches. This allowed people and groups in Africa, South Asia, and Eastern Europe to connect to the internet, even when direct connections weren't possible.
GreenNet was also a founding member of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). This group works to make sure everyone can use the internet for good. Karen Banks helped start APC's Women's Networking Support Programme (WNSP) in 1993. She then led this program from 1996 to 2004.
Connecting Women Globally
A big moment for the WNSP happened in 1995 at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. The WNSP set up internet access and email for 10,000 people attending the conference. Many of these delegates had never seen a web page or used email before! This project showed how powerful the internet could be for connecting people and sharing information, especially for women around the world.
From 1998 to 2001, Karen Banks worked on protecting "Internet rights" in Europe for the APC. This means making sure people have the freedom to use the internet and that their online information is safe. Later, in 2004, she became a manager for network development at APC. Today, she is the operations director for the entire APC organization.
Awards and Recognition
Karen Banks has received several important awards for her work. In 2004, she was given the Anita Borg Award for Social Impact by the Anita Borg Institute. This award recognized her "significant and sustained contributions in technology," meaning she made a big and lasting positive difference using technology.
She also serves on the board of Privacy International. This group works to protect people's privacy in the digital world.
On November 16, 2018, Karen Banks received an award from the Oxford Internet Institute. This award honored her lifetime achievements in using information and communication technologies (like computers and the internet) to create positive social change.
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