[1] In diplomacy and international relations, an intermediary may convey messages between principals in a dispute, allowing the avoidance of direct principal-to-principal contact.
[citation needed] In law enforcement in Mexico, the concept of intermediary has emerged with the Autodefensas, a self-governing protective association of citizens, which brokers in the struggles of the state with violent, criminal organizations known as cartels.
[3] In law, the job of an intermediary involves conveying messages between principals in a dispute, preventing direct contact and potential escalation of the issue.
Intermediaries can facilitate communication between a vulnerable witness or defendant and court personnel to acquire valuable evidence and to ensure all parties have a fair trial.
[citation needed] In trade, an intermediary middleman or commercial agent acts as a conduit for goods or services offered by a supplier to a consumer.
Bailey and Bakos (1997) analyzed a number of case studies and identified four roles of electronic intermediaries including information aggregating, providing trust, facilitating and matching.