A UC Berkeley graduate student was on a trip in Egypt where he was arrested for photographing a demonstration. He was held without being charged, but was able to text his Twitter account with the message: "Arrested."
Twitter, one of the newer social networking sites, focuses on status updates and allows users to update their page by web, IM, or text message.
His friends saw his message and contact the US Embassy. He got the help he needed, but remains in jail. Looks like his Twitter update saved the day.
Kudos to his friends for actually believing the message enough to call someone for help.
TechCrunch: Twitter Saves Man From Egyptian Justice
