Some people choose to use Twitter to spread destructive rumours and nasty hatred, but others use the microblogging site to save the day. In Dubai, for instance, a collaborative effort among thousands of Twitter users enabled law enforcement to rescue a baby napping inside a car when it was stolen.
According to reports, the baby's parents left her inside a Toyota Prado while they made a quick stop at a shop. One can assume they didn't intend to stay long as they left the car's engines running, but it only took a few seconds for the thief to steal the car with the baby still sleeping inside.
Dubai's police force published a Twitter alert for the missing baby, and it was retweeted roughly 1,700 times within a few minutes. The car and the baby — who was thankfully unharmed — were recovered seven hours later, a few kilometres from where they were stolen. The police credited Twitter for the successful rescue mission.
This is not the first time Twitter users pulled together to save people's lives: A carjacking victim was rescued in South Africa, a wounded triathlete was able to ask for medical help, and an African village chief caught burglars red-handed with the help of the social network.
