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Summary:

Egyptian-born journalist Mona El Tahawy’s use of Twitter to criticize her country’s government may have made her a target for kidnapping and torture, but it also helped her friends assemble a network of supporters and a Twitter campaign that eventually freed her from her captors.

Destabilized by the collapse of its dictatorial regime and governed by military forces, Egypt is a dangerous place to be a dissident, especially one who has drawn the government’s fire by blogging and tweeting about its failings. For Mona El Tahawy, who was arrested and tortured by Egyptian security forces last week, that profile may have made her a target — but it also helped her quickly assemble a network of supporters and a Twitter campaign that eventually freed her from her captors. As with the revolution that swept Egypt’s president from power, Twitter may not have been the ultimate cause, but it clearly played a crucial role in the eventual outcome.

El Tahawy is a freelance journalist who grew up in Egypt and got her journalism degree from the University of Cairo, and worked for news outlets such as Reuters and The Guardian before moving to New York. The “Arab Spring” revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt drew her back to her homeland, and she has been reporting on and blogging about the turmoil there ever since. For many, including NPR reporter Andy Carvin — who has become a one-man newswire reporting on the events in the Arab world via Twitter — she has become one of the key sources of information from the region.

News of El Tahawy’s capture spread quickly

As detailed in a Storify archive of the incident, on Wednesday evening — after having posted a number of comments to Twitter about the demonstrations in Tahrir Square — El Tahawy posted a single tweet that said she had been arrested by the country’s security forces:

The news sent shockwaves through the network of Egypt-watchers who follow El Tahawy on Twitter, and one of them was sociologist Zeynep Tufekci, who has made a study of the use of social media during the “Arab Spring” revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere. As Tufekci describes in a blog post about the incident, she quickly decided to use her connections to raise awareness about her journalist friend’s arrest and torture. Others, including Andy Carvin at NPR, had also started posting about the news and a hashtag quickly emerged: #freemona.

Within 20 minutes, Tufekci says, the hashtag was trending worldwide — thanks to the network of Twitter users who follow both the sociologist and other influential accounts like Carvin’s. One of those Egypt-watchers made sure everyone knew she had contacted the U.S. Embassy about the incident, since El Tahawy is a U.S. citizen. Tufekci and Carvin both reached out to another member of their network: Anne-Marie Slaughter, a Princeton professor and former advisor to Senator Hillary Clinton. She in turn reached out to her contacts at the State Department.

Concise, fast, global, public and connected

As Tufekci notes in her post, while the Egyptian government and military forces may be despotic in many ways, it is still sensitive to international pressure — and that includes the kind of social pressure that can be applied when a high-profile case such as El Tahawy’s hits the news. While in some cases publicity can backfire and make those holding a dissident dig in their heels even further, with the Egyptian government, Tufekci and others believed that such pressure would help loosen their grip. And that appeared to be the case, since El Tahawy was released 12 hours later, with a broken arm and a broken wrist from being assaulted by her captors.

So did Twitter cause El Tahawy’s release? As with the original demonstrations in Egypt that led to the removal of its dictatorial president, there’s bound to be debate about what role social media played. But as Tufekci has noted in her research about those demonstrations, one of the crucial factors Twitter and Facebook bring to the table during such events is the ability to spread the information broadly in a short space of time, which can in turn help convince others that taking action is worthwhile — creating a sense of momentum behind such events. In El Tahawy’s case, she says:

A few decades ago, contemplating launching a global campaign like this would require that I own, say, a television station or two. Concise, fast, global, public and connected was what we needed, and, for that, there is nothing better than Twitter.

Twitter makes it easier for ad hoc networks to form

Would El Tahawy have been released if Twitter and the kinds of real-time connections Tufekci describes in her post didn’t exist? Possibly. But her release could easily have taken weeks or even months, and perhaps even longer — as news of her capture slowly filtered out through traditional media sources, and then back-room diplomacy took its course. Tufekci and others could probably have emailed or called their contacts at the State Department, and the New York Times  might have eventually written about it. But there would not have been the same instantaneous public spotlight that Twitter shone on El Tahawy’s capture.

As Tufekci says in her post about the incident, proving cause and effect with social networks like Twitter is almost impossible. But what it clearly did in this case was speed up the process, and make it easier for an ad-hoc network of influential individuals to shine a light on El Tahawy’s capture — and that, combined with her own high-profile status as an American citizen and journalist, likely made the difference. Obviously, many other Egyptian dissidents remain in prison or detention, and not all of them can be freed in a similar manner for a variety of reasons.

That said, however, one of the things that dictators and repressive governments of all kinds hate the most is public knowledge of their actions — and in that sense, Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence. On top of that, it makes collective action in such situations much easier and more effective, and that has profound implications not just in Egypt but for governments everywhere.

Post and thumbnail photos courtesy of Flickr user Petteri Sulonen and Wikimedia

  1. [GigaOM] How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy:
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  27. new post from me at GigaOM: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” http://t.co/4YYALugF h/t @techsoc

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  28. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/wEMhxTGE via Mathew Ingram

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  37. Amazing! RT @mathewi: new post from me at GigaOM: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” http://t.co/czdmgvEG h/t @techsoc

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  44. RT @mathewi: new post from me at GigaOM: “How Twitter helped rescue @monaeltahawy” http://t.co/SbUlw6mP h/t @techsoc

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  45. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/xHo8HX00 cc @ZhanWass

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  46. RT @mathewi: new post from me at GigaOM: “How Twitter helped rescue @monaeltahawy” http://t.co/nJn0Fv9r h/t @techsoc

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  47. “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence”-@mathewi http://t.co/SvVEoaSb #opengov

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  53. > @digiphile: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence”-@mathewi http://t.co/zA1mZQJ3 #opengov

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  54. i doubt twitter helped much at all .. if you notice, very few captives are held longer than overnight

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  61. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy – Egyptian-born journalist Mona El Tahawy’s use of Twitter to criticize her… http://t.co/2bMZrbfr

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  62. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy – Egyptian-born journalist Mona El Tahawy’s use of Twitter to criticize her… http://t.co/dzjiCozu

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  64. RT @GigaOm: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/TKzYyZUM

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  69. RT @mathewi: new post from me at GigaOM: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” http://t.co/4YYALugF h/t @techsoc

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  70. Concise, fast, global, connected: how Twitter helped rescue @monaeltahawy http://t.co/s7ED61kU @mathewi #freemona

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  73. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/XZdoY0ar via @gigaom

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  74. Amazing! RT @dallant: Concise, fast, global, connected: how Twitter helped rescue @monaeltahawy http://t.co/flFY1NU9 @mathewi #freemona

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  75. Peccherò di ottimismo, ma tra i più virtuosi #usiditwitter oggi c’é anche far liberare i prigionieri politici http://t.co/xjaMhlDJ

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  76. Someone call M. Gladwell RT @dallant: Concise, fast, global, connected: Twitter helped rescue @monaeltahawy http://t.co/y7mYc5XU @mathewi

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  79. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/NLBN35CT

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  81. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/CleDf67i

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  86. How Twitter Helped Rescue Egyptian Dissident Mona El Tahawy: http://t.co/XYkWmlIR

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  87. RT @SocialMedia411: How Twitter Helped Rescue Egyptian Dissident Mona El Tahawy: http://t.co/XYkWmlIR

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  93. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — Tech News and Analysis http://t.co/Mdq0sQWW

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  94. “@amitry: How Twitter helped rescue @monaeltahawy http://t.co/kEB01vNk”

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  97. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/ygmsSvGj – via @mathewi

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  98. RT @digiphile: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence”-@mathewi http://t.co/T9XrZIoM #opengov

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  99. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — Tech News and Analysis http://t.co/70nCabby

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  100. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/g7F2LBDS via @zite

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  103. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/oEmROAFj #tahrir #egypt

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  107. RT @dallant: Concise, fast, global, connected: how Twitter helped rescue @monaeltahawy http://t.co/KZonLEC4 @mathewi #freemona

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  108. RT @digiphile “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence”-@mathewi http://t.co/qa8TzBfN #opengov

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  109. RT @gigaom: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/MPFvmCU8

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  110. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/dAvcAYO0 #monaeltahawy #tahrir @monaeltahawy

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  111. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/DVsy5cqA @monaeltahawy

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  112. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — Tech News and … http://t.co/rJhpQtuw

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  113. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/ElDf0ywZ

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  114. An amazing woman… “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” – http://t.co/LNiiudvq

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  115. How social networks (Twitter) saved Egyption activist @monaeltahawy. http://t.co/ay8PtsOD #sm

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  116. RT @PENCanada: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/RPPACxmT

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  118. RT @safeworld4women: RT @kjstinson: How Twitter helped rescue @monaeltahawy http://t.co/8LkGLGCJ

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  119. Great GigaOm story: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — Tech News and Analysis http://t.co/Ze28PP4M

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  120. How #Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy
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  122. RT @PENCanada: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/RPPACxmT

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  123. RT @SocialMedia411: How Twitter Helped Rescue Egyptian Dissident Mona El Tahawy: http://t.co/XYkWmlIR

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  124. Reading: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/Brru6v7R @mathewi @monaeltahawy #Tahrir #Egypt

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  125. in case you missed it earlier: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” http://t.co/4YYALugF

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  126. RT @mathewi: in case you missed it earlier: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” http://t.co/4YYALugF

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  127. MT @mathewi: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” http://t.co/TR75cgpH #K12Media

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  128. How Twitter helped rescue @monaeltahawy – shone instantaneous public spotlight on her arrest http://t.co/9UM2ODyT by @mathewi

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  129. RT @mathewi: in case you missed it earlier: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” http://t.co/4YYALugF

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  130. RT @SocialMedia411: How Twitter Helped Rescue Egyptian Dissident Mona El Tahawy: http://t.co/XYkWmlIR

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  131. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — Tech News and … http://t.co/Om1AcSid

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  132. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — Tech News and … http://t.co/wrLwa75i

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  133. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — Tech News and …: Egyptian-born journalist Mona El Tahawy’s use of T… http://t.co/c5qDc1nH

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  134. RT @mathewi: in case you missed it earlier: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” http://t.co/4YYALugF

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  135. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy – http://t.co/ir9oqsod: Destabilized by the collapse of its… http://t.co/tt5gRMXm #TwitterNews

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  136. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy #in http://t.co/Kf51sj0Y

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  137. Twitter News How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy – http://t.co/GUMCKxLx: For many, incl… http://t.co/5Oihtxq8 http://t.co/cMGgleWc

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  138. Really? So, where does that leave Alaa? How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/912skWcT

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  139. Interesting: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/3rUa1Cmc

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  140. Oh, lord.

    First we had the absurd claims that Twitter brought down Mubarak, failing to notice that a military-backed tyrant was just replaced by a shadowy military junta. Big achievement, and no doubt, all Twitter.

    Now this? Will you stop to consider that perhaps State Department diplomats, with their ability to bring real pressure on Egypt (you know, that military and foreign aid dependency, not to mention political cover that can be revoked) are the ones behind the release? What sort of influence does Twitter have that is anywhere near as practical?

    Ah, technology looms larger than life in the mind of the tech fanboys.

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    1. No one is saying that Twitter caused her to be released, just as no one (or at least no one credible) said that Twitter caused Mubarak to be ousted. But it certainly helped, and arguably sped up the process — that is the point I was trying to make.

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  141. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/n3WNQB2u

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  142. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/NLeW0Qrp

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  143. RT @KristineLowe: Interesting: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/3rUa1Cmc

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  144. @shepdl we should see if we can map her tweets. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/cC15Rnxc

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  145. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — http://t.co/nl0aewaI

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  146. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — http://t.co/6SxbVSvA

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  147. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/Ddn1DOP8

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  148. RT @PeerIndex: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/X1Twkh61

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  149. RT @PeerIndex: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/Ddn1DOP8

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  150. r/t Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  151. “@TweetSmarter: r/t Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/rSun6eYE” anyone doubting social media? Read on

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  152. “@TweetSmarter: r/t Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/L6uVrc21” amazing case study and story.

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  153. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/3hAx0z57

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  154. Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/Z0FL2PQE

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  155. @HeraldSunEye @samanthamaiden fyi RT @TwitterBulletin: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/csIqYNKa

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  156. How #Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/R1GUdVrA

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  157. How Twitter helped rescue @MonaElTahawy http://t.co/FFgnFeRa On @storify: http://t.co/h1oXBMXn More @storify: http://t.co/XQfTnYSP #freeMona

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  158. RT @gigaom: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/sTy8tqAD

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  159. RT @TweetSmarter: r/t Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  160. RT @TweetSmarter: r/t Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  161. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy @monaeltahawy http://t.co/Jq4qmkwH

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  162. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/VMHz2qAF

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  163. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/Eoyikugw

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  164. RT @dudeman718: RT @TwitterBulletin: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/OtN14ET2

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  165. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/pJhT26WH

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  166. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/6xjLli6s

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  167. Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  168. How #Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — http://t.co/ZdCub4vo via @addthis #in #sm #socialmedia

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  169. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  170. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/b0a5JENk

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  171. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  172. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/Bhw0FX6g <<<< I love Twitter

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  173. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  174. Matthew Ingram analyzes the role Twitter played in securing @monaeltahawy’s release: http://t.co/jyQISQuZ (via @TweetSmarter)

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  175. RT @TweetSmarter
    Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/eqgCXsFf

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  176. #WOW RT @tweetsmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of #Twitter: http://t.co/9DEb2wtL #SocialMedia #SM

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  177. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/ftXWgsma #SocialMedia

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  178. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  179. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  180. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  181. @monaeltahawy Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/b6rXv3Ga
    @annabrodskaya1

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  182. Rescued with the Help of Twitter http://t.co/gEyObiXv #J360PR

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  183. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/raWjidA5

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  184. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  185. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  186. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  187. RT @gigaom: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/gbmtNDOj @monaeltahawy

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  188. “@TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/7FVBI6Jx” incredible article

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  189. Arrested, tortured…then rescued. Using #Twitter to save lives #SMSavesLives » http://t.co/GuH4Ix8S

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  190. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  191. RT @TweetSmarter: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  192. Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of #Twitter: http://t.co/KgiOQusa RT @TweetSmarter

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  193. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/iRvYVDZ5

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  194. RT @TwitterBulletin: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/Z0FL2PQE

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  195. RT @kjstinson: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/CleDf67i

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  196. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — Tech News and Analysis http://t.co/EKNlplz9

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  197. as an Egyptian who was there into the heart of the revolution from day one I can say that technology helped (from Facebook to twitter and even MMS)

    funny is, in my country now a tweet or a Facebook page/group can change the government, how? let me explain

    just 2 months before January’s revolution one single Facebook page called (we all Khalid Saeed) managed to gather a lot of supporters, spreading news & videos of police brutality that moved a lot of people, then it was the call for Jan 25th movement, technology always been a good tool to communicate and make people take actions, in fact during the early days (25th to 28th) raids has been avoiding police blocks and checkpoints via tweets, that is why when the Mubarak’s regime wanted to put an end to it they blocked the internet service nationwide, when we started communicating by MMS, spreading the news of police killing unarmed protesters, they suspended cell phone services we started to use Bluetooth to send images from Tahrir square that ignited more actions in all major cities, while national TV was hiding the truth.

    The fact that Facebook & Twitter can reach millions of people in matter of seconds it became one of the major tools to communicate and arrange events & call for demonstrations.

    So a tweet can lead to a gathering, become a demonstrations, TV channels start talking, news websites spread it, it becomes a major issues that causes a pressure on the government, while I don’t necessary agree with such approach it has proved its effectiveness in Egypt

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    1. Thanks a lot for this, Ian — appreciate you sharing that perspective.

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  198. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/j6mChtGu

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  199. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/nINLDUNa

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  200. How #Twitter helped rescue @monaeltahawy, via @gigaom: http://t.co/wkcoXsud. #socialmedia

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  201. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/arlMP1aD /by @matheqi Good read.

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  202. RT @TugaK: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” – http://t.co/UktPder5

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  203. RT @TugaK: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” – http://t.co/UktPder5

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  204. RT @TugaK: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” – http://t.co/UktPder5

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  205. RT @TugaK: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” – http://t.co/UktPder5

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  206. RT @TugaK: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” – http://t.co/UktPder5

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  207. RT @TugaK: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” – http://t.co/UktPder5

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  208. RT @TugaK: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” – http://t.co/UktPder5

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  209. RT @TugaK: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” – http://t.co/UktPder5

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  210. RT @TugaK: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” – http://t.co/UktPder5

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  211. RT @TugaK: “How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy” – http://t.co/UktPder5

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  212. How #Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy — http://t.co/ODC2Luug via @Christinekorda #in #sm #socialmedia

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  213. RT @KristineLowe: Interesting: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/q8XONZzX

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  214. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/6XwKP272

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  215. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/jjbx3mf1

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  216. RT @TwitterBulletin: Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/Z0FL2PQE

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  217. RT @TweetSmarter: r/t Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  218. RT @TweetSmarter: r/t Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/pUB3cB0r

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  219. RT @adeelr26: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/u4706F3G

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  220. The power of social media. RT @tweetsmarter: r/t Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/zlfEBi0I

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  221. RT @acarvin: From GigaOm: How Twitter helped rescue @Monaeltahawy http://t.co/EAcyu3HQ

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  222. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy – http://t.co/uFhdTBm9 http://t.co/jjKY4fq3 #twitter

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  223. RT @acarvin: From GigaOm: How Twitter helped rescue @Monaeltahawy http://t.co/EAcyu3HQ

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  224. RT @acarvin: From GigaOm: How Twitter helped rescue @Monaeltahawy http://t.co/EAcyu3HQ

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  225. How #Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/eBauczcW // @viewfromthecave #Egypt #humanrights defender

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  226. RT @HRDefenders: How #Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/eBauczcW // @viewfromthecave #Egypt #humanrights defender

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  227. RT @HRDefenders: How #Twitter helped rescue @monaeltahawy http://t.co/8LkGLGCJ // @viewfromthecave #Egypt #humanrights defender

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  228. Power of #Twitter = can shine “instantaneous public spotlight” on abuses of #humanrights defenders http://t.co/hpKE5tS3 #Egypt

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  229. How Twitter helped rescue @MonaElTahawy via @gigaom http://t.co/CQy4LD8N HT @hrdefenders (nice job @SlaughterAM) #Egypt

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  230. RT @viewfromthecave: How Twitter helped rescue @MonaElTahawy via @gigaom http://t.co/TwlJbtcX HT @hrdefenders. nice job @SlaughterAM (+1!)

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  231. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/HFpAIIg2

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  232. RT @CIMA_Media_News: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/HFpAIIg2

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  233. Tweet, yes. Twitter campaign, absolutely not. RT @CIMA_Media_News: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/Y3F7Hkq1

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  234. La version Egyptienne de @BulletSkan :) RT @CIMA_Media_News: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/hCv6i5jv

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  235. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/uLnXpJLw

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  236. RT @CIMA_Media_News: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/YlyUU7kt

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  237. RT @CIMA_Media_News: How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/HFpAIIg2

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  238. Sounds dangerous to tweet!! RT @TweetSmarter: r/t Arrested, tortured…then rescued with the help of Twitter: http://t.co/A1M4eU1r

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  239. Wow. How Twitter played “a crucial role” in helping to rescue @MonaElTahawy http://t.co/EMsthoxY #freemona /by @mathewi

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  240. “Concise, fast, global, public and connected…for that, there is nothing better than Twitter”~@MonaElTahawy http://t.co/EMsthoxY

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  241. Love it: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/EMsthoxY

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  242. RT @eric_andersen: Love it: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/EMsthoxY

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  243. RT @eric_andersen: Love it: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/EMsthoxY

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  244. RT @eric_andersen: Love it: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/EMsthoxY

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  245. RT @eric_andersen: Love it: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/EMsthoxY

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  246. RT @eric_andersen: Love it: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/EMsthoxY

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  247. RT @eric_andersen: Love it: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/EMsthoxY

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  248. RT @eric_andersen: Love it: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/qM4BDkFs

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  249. Xlt!! Love it: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/h4TUO9of @eric_andersen #sm

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  250. “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/zAqHRFTF via @eric_andersen

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  251. RT @manamica: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/0jR3WCM1 via @eric_andersen

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  252. Keeps us honest. Good. RT @manamica “Twitter is one of the fastest & most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/sLYUriuS

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  253. RT @manamica: “Twitter is one of the fastest and most efficient transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/zAqHRFTF via @eric_andersen

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  254. Awesome. RT @manamica: “Twitter is one of the fastest transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/0WPaFalG via @eric_andersen

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  255. Incredible RT: @dschmudde Awesome. @manamica: “Twitter is one of the fastest transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/ldHSuxvc

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  256. RT @dschmudde: Awesome. RT @manamica: “Twitter is one of the fastest transparency machines in existence” http://t.co/0WPaFalG via @eric_andersen

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  257. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/lhLABtfE

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  258. How Twitter helped rescue Mona El Tahawy http://t.co/hssHOT1b

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  259. RT @aym How #Twitter helped rescue #Mona El #Tahawy http://t.co/c8JMG8ZU #Egypt

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  260. RT @Calestous: RT @aym How #Twitter helped rescue #Mona El #Tahawy http://t.co/c8JMG8ZU #Egypt

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