an Egyptian hip-hop group posted a dedication to Said's case on YouTube. The government was forced to open an investigation in a case that was widely seen as government-sanctioned police brutality.

For the social media movement, the Khalid Said campaign was the most successful yet, but the movement continues to play a cat-and-mouse game with Egyptian authorities, who are now keeping a close watch on Web sites and jailing activists.

"The Ministry of Interior, they are not stupid. They are very smart people," Raoof says. "They know about Twitter and Facebook. As we are improving ourselves online, they are also doing the same."

"Those people are really revolutionary," Sadek, the professor, says of the bloggers. "They are breaking from this malfunctioning system and trying to do something different."

The Egyptian government hasreacted with tentative political steps to counter the bloggers, but they have mostly failed, Sadek says. He points to the website for President Hosni Mubarak, the 82-year-old leader of the country.

The Ministry of Interior, they are not stupid. They are very smart people. They know about Twitter and Facebook. As we are improving ourselves online, they are also doing the same.

"It is still under construction," Sadek says. "The presidency is still under construction. And that shows you."

But the Egyptian government has found other tools to suppress the movement, says Marc Lynch, director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

"Once they figured out they were a challenge, they throw them in jail," Lynch says. "A few of them get international campaigns. Most