Internet usage statistics recorded by e-marketing companies show an increase of 1 million Facebook users in Egypt during the 25 January Revolution, which toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. During the revolution, activists used the social networking site to call for protests, communicate with each other, and spread revolution-related news.
Statistics revealed that 4.2 million people in Egypt visited the site in January, while 5.3 million visited in February. The state-owned Middle East News Agency reported that Egypt has the largest Facebook community in the Middle East.
On 26 January, the Egyptian authorities blocked Facebook and other social networking sites after Egyptians used them to call for mass protests. The deposed regime then disconnected the internet on 27 January for a week, resulting in financial losses equal to US$9 billion.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
