Wael Ghonim, born on December 23, 1980, is an Egyptian computer engineer and democracy activist. He helped organize a social media campaign that spurred mass demonstrations in 2011 in Egypt, which led to President Hosni Mubarak losing power. In June 2010, Ghonim created the Facebook page “We Are All Khaled Said” to bring attention to the death of Khaled Said, who was killed by police. After an uprising in Tunisia, Ghonim and other activists called for a similar action in Egypt. After being arrested by Egyptian police and held in secret for 11 days, Ghonim became a symbol of the youth and technology-driven democracy movement in Egypt.

What is Wael Ghonim known for?

Wael Ghonim is an Egyptian democracy activist and computer engineer known for his role in organizing the social media campaign that spurred mass demonstrations in Egypt in 2011, which led to Hosni Mubarak's removal from power. In June 2010, Ghonim created the Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said" to raise awareness about police brutality after the death of Khaled Said. Following the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, Ghonim and other Internet activists called for similar protests in Egypt. After being detained for 11 days, Ghonim's emotional interview on Egyptian television after his release is credited with revitalizing the protest movement. While he became a symbol of the pro-democracy movement, Ghonim stated he had no political ambitions. In 2012, he released his memoir, Revolution 2.0: The Power of the People Is Greater than the People in Power .

How did Wael Ghonim use the internet to help Egypt's Arab Spring movement?

Wael Ghonim, an Egyptian activist and computer engineer, used the internet to galvanize the Arab Spring movement in Egypt. In June 2010, he created the Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said" to highlight police brutality, attracting hundreds of thousands of members and creating an online forum for discussion. Inspired by Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution, Ghonim and other internet activists used social media to call for similar protests in Egypt. Ghonim anonymously advised protest leaders on organizing demonstrations and mobilizing large groups. Though he was arrested for 11 days, his role as an organizer drew international attention and reenergized the Egyptian protest movement. Social media was instrumental in organizing the January 25 Revolution, bringing massive crowds to protest against President Hosni Mubarak.

What role did social media play in Wael Ghonim’s activism?

Wael Ghonim, an Egyptian activist, utilized social media to galvanize mass demonstrations in 2011, significantly contributing to the Egypt Uprising of 2011 that led to Hosni Mubarak's removal from power. Ghonim anonymously created the Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said" in June 2010, which became a central online forum against police brutality in Egypt, drawing hundreds of thousands of members. Following Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution, he used social media to call for similar protests in Egypt, advising protest leaders on organization and mobilization while maintaining anonymity. Social media played a crucial role in grassroots political mobilization, offering a platform for digital activism and engaging protesters, especially in environments where public spaces were regulated.

What happened to Wael Ghonim during the 2011 Egyptian protests?

During the 2011 Egyptian protests, Wael Ghonim, an Egyptian democracy activist and computer engineer, played a significant role in organizing and promoting the demonstrations through social media anchor text . He anonymously created the Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said" to raise awareness about police brutality, which became a central online forum. After a popular uprising in Tunisia, Ghonim and other activists called for similar action in Egypt anchor text . Ghonim was arrested by plainclothes Egyptian police on January 28 and held in secret detention for 11 days. His disappearance garnered international media attention and, upon his release, he gave an emotional interview that is credited with re-energizing the protest movement. Ghonim joined the protesters in Tahrir Square on February 8 and was enthusiastically welcomed anchor text .

How has Wael Ghonim’s activism influenced views on the power of the internet and social change?

Wael Ghonim , an Egyptian activist and computer engineer, significantly influenced views on the power of the internet and social change through his activism. Ghonim anonymously created the Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said" in June 2010, which became a forum discussing police brutality in Egypt, garnering hundreds of thousands of members. Following the Tunisian uprising, Ghonim and other activists called for similar action in Egypt, using online platforms to organize demonstrations. His arrest and subsequent emotional interview after being released brought international attention to the protests and reenergized the Egyptian protest movement. Ghonim's work demonstrated the potential of social media to mobilize large groups and advocate for democracy, as he became a symbol of Egypt’s youth- and technology-driven democracy movement.

Wael Ghonim

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Born:: December 23, 1980, Cairo, Egypt (age 45)

Role In:: Egypt Uprising of 2011

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Wael Ghonim

Egyptian activist and computer engineer

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Who is Wael Ghonim?
Wael Ghonim, born on December 23, 1980, is an Egyptian computer engineer and democracy activist. He helped organize a social media campaign that spurred mass demonstrations in 2011 in Egypt, which led to President Hosni Mubarak losing power.

In June 2010, Ghonim created the Facebook page “We Are All Khaled Said” to bring attention to the death of Khaled Said, who was killed by police. After an uprising in Tunisia, Ghonim and other activists called for a similar action in Egypt. After being arrested by Egyptian police and held in secret for 11 days, Ghonim became a symbol of the youth and technology-driven democracy movement in Egypt.
1 Britannica Source
1. Wael Ghonim
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What is Wael Ghonim known for?
Wael Ghonim is an Egyptian democracy activist and computer engineer known for his role in organizing the social media campaign that spurred mass demonstrations in Egypt in 2011, which led to Hosni Mubarak's removal from power.

In June 2010, Ghonim created the Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said" to raise awareness about police brutality after the death of Khaled Said. Following the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, Ghonim and other Internet activists called for similar protests in Egypt.

After being detained for 11 days, Ghonim's emotional interview on Egyptian television after his release is credited with revitalizing the protest movement. While he became a symbol of the pro-democracy movement, Ghonim stated he had no political ambitions. In 2012, he released his memoir, Revolution 2.0: The Power of the People Is Greater than the People in Power.
1 Britannica Source
1. Wael Ghonim
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did Wael Ghonim use the internet to help Egypt's Arab Spring movement?
Wael Ghonim, an Egyptian activist and computer engineer, used the internet to galvanize the Arab Spring movement in Egypt. In June 2010, he created the Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said" to highlight police brutality, attracting hundreds of thousands of members and creating an online forum for discussion.

Inspired by Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution, Ghonim and other internet activists used social media to call for similar protests in Egypt. Ghonim anonymously advised protest leaders on organizing demonstrations and mobilizing large groups. Though he was arrested for 11 days, his role as an organizer drew international attention and reenergized the Egyptian protest movement. Social media was instrumental in organizing the January 25 Revolution, bringing massive crowds to protest against President Hosni Mubarak.
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Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What role did social media play in Wael Ghonim’s activism?
Wael Ghonim, an Egyptian activist, utilized social media to galvanize mass demonstrations in 2011, significantly contributing to the Egypt Uprising of 2011 that led to Hosni Mubarak's removal from power.

Ghonim anonymously created the Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said" in June 2010, which became a central online forum against police brutality in Egypt, drawing hundreds of thousands of members. Following Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution, he used social media to call for similar protests in Egypt, advising protest leaders on organization and mobilization while maintaining anonymity. Social media played a crucial role in grassroots political mobilization, offering a platform for digital activism and engaging protesters, especially in environments where public spaces were regulated.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What happened to Wael Ghonim during the 2011 Egyptian protests?
During the 2011 Egyptian protests, Wael Ghonim, an Egyptian democracy activist and computer engineer, played a significant role in organizing and promoting the demonstrations through social media anchor text. He anonymously created the Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said" to raise awareness about police brutality, which became a central online forum. After a popular uprising in Tunisia, Ghonim and other activists called for similar action in Egypt anchor text.

Ghonim was arrested by plainclothes Egyptian police on January 28 and held in secret detention for 11 days. His disappearance garnered international media attention and, upon his release, he gave an emotional interview that is credited with re-energizing the protest movement. Ghonim joined the protesters in Tahrir Square on February 8 and was enthusiastically welcomed anchor text.
1 Britannica Source
1. Wael Ghonim
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How has Wael Ghonim’s activism influenced views on the power of the internet and social change?
Wael Ghonim, an Egyptian activist and computer engineer, significantly influenced views on the power of the internet and social change through his activism. Ghonim anonymously created the Facebook page "We Are All Khaled Said" in June 2010, which became a forum discussing police brutality in Egypt, garnering hundreds of thousands of members. Following the Tunisian uprising, Ghonim and other activists called for similar action in Egypt, using online platforms to organize demonstrations. His arrest and subsequent emotional interview after being released brought international attention to the protests and reenergized the Egyptian protest movement. Ghonim's work demonstrated the potential of social media to mobilize large groups and advocate for democracy, as he became a symbol of Egypt’s youth- and technology-driven democracy movement.
1 Britannica Source
1. Wael Ghonim
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Wael Ghonim (born December 23, 1980, Cairo, Egypt) is an Egyptian democracy activist and computer engineer who was one of the organizers of a social media campaign that helped spur mass demonstrations in 2011 in Egypt, forcing Pres. Hosni Mubarak from power. (See Egypt Uprising of 2011.) After being held in secret detention by Egyptian security forces for 11 days during the protests, Ghonim came to be seen as a symbol of Egypt’s youth- and technology-driven democracy movement.

Ghonim was born into a middle-class family in Cairo. He graduated from the University of Cairo in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and earned a master’s degree in finance from the American University in Cairo in 2007. In 2010 he moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to take a job as the head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa for the search engine company Google.

In June 2010 Ghonim anonymously created a page titled “We Are All Khaled Said” on the social media site Facebook to publicize the death of Khaled Said, a 28-year-old Egyptian man beaten to death by police. The page garnered hundreds of thousands of members, becoming an online forum for the discussion of police brutality in Egypt.

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After a popular uprising in Tunisia forced Pres. Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali from power in January 2011 (see Jasmine Revolution), Ghonim and several other Internet democracy activists posted messages to their sites calling for a similar action in Egypt. Ghonim, then in Dubai, anonymously communicated with protest leaders, giving advice on organizing demonstrations and mobilizing large groups.

On January 28, after arriving in Cairo to take part in demonstrations, Ghonim was arrested by plainclothes Egyptian police and held in secret detention for 11 days. Ghonim’s sudden disappearance brought international media attention to his role as an organizer of the protests. Hours after being released, Ghonim gave an emotional interview on a privately owned Egyptian television channel in which he confirmed that he was the administrator of the “We Are All Khaled Said” page. He praised the Egyptian protesters’ courage and wept when he was shown pictures of protesters who had been killed. The interview is often credited with having reenergized the Egyptian protest movement after a week of violent reprisals by the government. On February 8 Ghonim received an enthusiastic welcome from protesters when he went to Tahrir Square, the focal point of the protests, to join the demonstrations.

Although Ghonim emerged as a symbol and an unofficial leader for the youth pro-democracy movement in Egypt, he stated that he had no ambition to become a political leader or pursue government office in Egypt.

In 2012 he published a memoir, Revolution 2.0: The Power of the People Is Greater than the People in Power.

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