Slim Amamou, a 33-year-old Tunisian blogger, programmer and activist, made the headlines back in January 18th, 2011, when he was appointed Minister for the Youth and Sports in the interim government of his country, following the toppling of the dictatorship of former autocrat, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. In this interview to Global Voices Slim comments on recent events in Tunisia and the Arab world. Slim Amamou – Picture by Jillian C. York in Flickr (Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) You've been following the extraordinary events in Egypt. What reading do you make of the Egyptian revolution? Can you compare both the Tunisian and the Egyptian uprisings: what's their common denominator (if any)? They are both one uprising. One World, One Revolution :) Often people think of it in terms of “contagion” or something. But in reality we've been ready, we, people of the internetz, for a revolution to start in any part of the Arab world. We've been supporting each other and trying hard since long time, and you know how important Internet was for the revolution. Egyptians actively supported the Tunisian Revolution as any Tunisian national did: they launched DDoS attacks, they've been demonstrating for Sidibouzid, they shared information, they provided technical support… etc. And now Tunisians are doing the same for Egyptians. It's really a new citizenship. Egyptians are de facto Tunisian citizens. Do you have a message or advise for those young people who have been protesting in Egypt? No :) Do you think the revolution in Tunisia, and now in Egypt, will spread across the Arab world? It is already spreading, or more precisely it's already there. My only worry is Internet control. I've been fighting here in Tunisia against censorship because I knew that infrastructure is the key for change. In some parts of the Arab world Internet access is maybe still not enough developed to be a lever for change. So maybe it's just not the right time, and maybe it's more effective to focus on having internet infrastructure ready and free right now. Would you be willing to offer help and share experience if asked by activists in other parts of the world? Yes, once I get my assignment here sorted :) (in about 6 months when we'll finally get fair elections I can say like Wael Ghonim : Mission accomplished :) Can you talk about the main reasons that led to your arrest? To what extent your activities online and your alleged connection with the Anonymous group have contributed to your arrest by the regime? I was arrested because of the attacks of Anonymous on government websites. It was state security (Tunisian NSA) and they thought there was a plot or a conspiracy, and that I was Dr. No. It took them 5 days to understand how all of what led to Anonymous attacks worked, and that if there was a conspiracy it was too complicated, and people were so loosely tied that you can't even call it conspiracy. And you GV, were part of the conspiracy :) I was interrogated about this. There's no doubt that it's the struggle of the Tunisian people that forced the regime to release you from detention in the late days of Ben Ali. During your arrest, a campaign was launched online to help keep your name and that of other bloggers in the spotlight. To what extent do you think the online campaign has played a role in your release? Were you aware while you were detained that it was actually taking place? In my opinion the campaign not only got us out of detention, but also contributed in taking down the Ben Ali regime. During detention, I was not aware of what was happening outside. The only bits I got is the press release from RSF (Reporters Without Borders) the second day. The interrogators were surprised how fast alert was publicised and they showed me the press release and asked me about the involvement of RSF in the conspiracy :) But to be honest I was counting on the internet community support whatever I did. I would have never imagined such a huge support (I mean Hillary Clinton asked Tunisian government to free us if I'm not wrong). Some say the Internet was a catalyst, others contend it has played only a marginal role in the uprising. Do you think, had the events of Sidi Bouzid or Cairo happened, say, in the 80s, when the Internet was not available yet, it would have achieved the tremendous rallying we've witnessed? You don't have to go back to the 80s. In 2008, there were uprisings in Redeyef, similar to what happened in Sidibouzid. But back then it seems that the internet community did not reach a critical mass. And then at that time, Facebook got censored for a week or two. I don't remember if it was related. But it was like a training for this revolution.