Internet makes a mark in Egypt

CAIRO, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Egyptians are turning to Facebook and Twitter to have their say in campaigns launched by the country's presidential candidates.

Hackers are also playing havoc with Web sites affiliated with candidates campaigning for next year's Egyptian presidential election, the Egypt Daily News reported on its Web site Sunday.

On the Facebook page of President Hosni Mubarak's son Gamal, a member of the National Democratic Party, hackers posted a new photo with a red "X" over it and a statement in Arabic saying: "You are not welcome and neither is your father," the Daily News said.

The report said the original photo that appeared on the page had a slogan under Gamal's photo saying "Yes for Gamal Mubarak."

Ayman Nour, the founder of El Ghad opposition party, launched a campaign against the president's son with the slogan: "Egypt is too big for you," the report said. A Facebook page attached to the campaign drew 2,000 followers in one week and 9,000 supporters have already reportedly signed on his Facebook page.

Mohammed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a keen opposition leader, is also vying for the presidential spot. The Egyptian newspaper Almasry Alyoum said ElBaradei appears to be leading in the cyber race with more than 455,000 signing his online petition for change.

About 10,000 people have signed a petition on the Facebook page of Parliament member Hamdeen Sabahi, the report said.

More than 3.5 million Egyptian Internet users have pages on Facebook, which has become the second most popular Web site in the country, the Alexa Web information company reported.