Egyptians Vs. Their Government: Will Technology Help Them Win The Battle?

Freedom of Speech is something us as Americans are privileged with, and have never known life without. However, many countries are forced to live in a world where expressing their opinions ends in punishment and even violent consequences. The internet and recent advancement in technology has helped us to voice our opinions whenever and however we choose, even for citizens in counties who do so against their governments will. Egypt has jumped on the technological bandwagon, controversially spreading facts of their corrupted government on blog sites and articles. One example of this is when a Cairo bus attack was posted on a blog of cops beating the bus driver with a broom. The outcome from this viral video was that the 2 officers were charged and given 3 year prison sentences. They deserved a much harsher punishment for their crime, but the fact some repercussions where given shows slow progress in the Egyptian government for the better. The internet had become a megaphone for citizens in countries like this to stand up to governmental abuse and corruption. Although the internet acts as a protective shield for its writers, many of them have been forced to go into hiding for their safety or would be murdered or hurt by the government for their actions. These wrongdoings displayed on the internet have slowly been building up a movement of protests, giving Egyptian citizens the courage to finally stand up for themselves. Although it is still a constant battle between citizen’s electronic display of truth, and their governments fight back, I believe that in the end the internet will help Egyptian citizens to win the battle for what is right.