Forty years ago, John Lennon sang about "Power to the People." It was a message Egyptians took to heart to bring down a repressive regime.

Throughout 18 days of ever-growing demonstrations in Tahrir Square, the Egyptian people stood resolute that Hosni Mubarak must step down—and on Friday he did just that, ending three decades of autocratic rule.

This was the first revolt fueled by computer technology and social media, with Twitter, Facebook and e-mail messages serving as rallying points for the populace. Young people ages 10-24 make up almost a third of Egypt’s population, so it was only fitting that they turned to the internet to draw these disparate groups together. That tech-savvy youthful enthusiasm was one of the hallmarks of this revolution.

Americans were kept in the dark about Mubarak’s rule in Egypt. As long as he was a reliable ally of the U.S., both in the fight against global terrorism and in dealings with Israel, we turned a blind eye t...