Tech for Palestine

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

Tech for Palestine (a.k.a. T4P) is a coordinated effort involving 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 the wake of the October 7 attacks and the ongoing Gaza war.[1] Tech for Palestine has been documented engaging in "canvassing" and other behavior in violation of the Wikipedia website's terms of service as well as policies and guidelines. The group has been criticized for "...erasing key facts about Hamas and reframing the narrative around Israel [on Wikipedia]".[3]

Background

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Tech for Palestine was founded by billionaire founder of tech company CircleCI, Paul Biggar, three months following the October 7 attacks, in which nearly 1,200 civilians were massacred by various Palestinian insurgents. The initiative was an outgrowth of aims to mobilize members of the global tech community in support of a pro-Palestinian position.[4][5][6] It began following a December 2023 blog post by Biggar titled “I Can't Sleep,” reflecting his view that tech-industry voices, though often socially progressive, were not favorable to Gaza.[7][8] Biggar was dismissed from the board of his company, following the blog post.[8]

According to a Twitter/X post from the group about itself, it emphasizes using technology to “disrupt conventional narratives, capture systems of power, and accelerate pro‑Palestinian organizing and public awareness”.[9][10]

Other activities

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Boycottech website and database

Tech for Palestine launched web tools including GitHub badges and site banners calling for a ceasefire and maintains a database of Israeli companies and venture capital firms. One of their projects include "Boycottech", which is a website that calls for boycotts of Israeli tech companies.[11][12]

The T4P incubator

The T4P Incubator provides volunteer time, mentorship, marketing support, and ecosystem connections to over 20 advocacy-focused tech initiatives. Some initiatives include ethics.vc, findaprotest.info, Apricot (a job platform for Palestinians), and Pal‑Chat (an AI chatbot giving historical and legal context).[13][14]

Collaboration

T4P acts as an organizational hub, connecting project leaders with volunteers via platforms like Discord and GitHub.[15][16]

Coordinated Wikipedia editing campaign

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Tech for Palestine was exposed by Pirate Wires as being involved in a coordinated campaign to edit 8,000 articles on Wikipedia.[17]

According to Pirate Wires, "A group called Tech For Palestine launched a...campaign after October 7, which violated Wikipedia policies by coordinating to edit Israel-Palestine articles on the group 8,000 member Discord."[18] Starting around January 2024, Paul Biggar created a new channel on the 8,000 member Tech for Palestine Discord channel called, "tfp-wikipedia-collaboration" with the intent to coordinate Wikipedia edits with a pro-Palestinian bias. According to Pirate Wires:[18]

The effort included recruiting volunteers, processing them through formal orientation, troubleshooting issues, and holding remote office hours to problem solve and ideate. The channel’s welcome message posed a revealing question: “Why Wikipedia? It is a widely accessed resource, and its content influences public perception.”[18]

Reporting documented that the problematic policy violating behavior is termed "canvassing" and that, "Pro-Hamas editors pushed pro-Palestinian propaganda on the online encyclopedia. They did so by erasing key facts about Hamas and reframing the narrative around Israel."[3] Jewish News Syndicate said that the T4P effort, made a "mock[ery of] objectivity."[19]

In January 2025, as a result of investigations into the canvassing and coordination activity, the Wikipedia arbitration committee[17] took various measures including the banning of several accounts from editing on Israel and Palestine related subject matter, termed a "topic ban"[17] as well as outright blocks wherein an editor is no longer able to make edits to any page.[17] Eight pro-Palestine partisan accounts were topic banned, whereas two pro-Israel accounts were topic banned.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b Davis, Dominic-Madori (January 2, 2024). "Tech for Palestine launches to provide tools to help support Palestinians". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  2. ^ "'Tech for Palestine' initiative launched to support Palestinians". The Daily Star. Bangladesh. January 4, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Perdomo, Williams (October 25, 2024). "At least 40 pro-Hamas Wikipedia editors misrepresented information about Israel". VOZ. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  4. ^ "Meta's staunch support for Israel shines through amid Gaza genocide". Tehran Times. August 26, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  5. ^ "Tech for Palestine Coalition Launched To Support Palestine". Inc. Arabia English - en.incarabia.com. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "I can't sleep". Paul Biggar. December 14, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  8. ^ a b 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. ^ https://x.com/tech4palestine/status/1782160494113046953
  10. ^ Ansari, Tasmia (January 31, 2024). "Paul Biggar Breaks Silence on Big Tech's Palestine Stance | AIM". Analytics India Magazine. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  11. ^ "Tech For Palestine Launches and Unveils Several Tools for Palestinian Solidarity". Muslim Tech Wire. January 3, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  12. ^ "Tech for Palestine Coalition Launched To Support Palestine". Inc. Arabia English - en.incarabia.com. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ Hussain, Shaik Zakeer (October 7, 2024). "Tech for Palestine Launches Incubator for Pro-Palestinian Tech Initiatives". Barakah Insider. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  15. ^ ""Tech for Palestine": 40 Technologists band together to support besieged Palestine". The Hindu. January 3, 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  16. ^ "Palestine boycott list | Ethical Consumer". www.ethicalconsumer.org. December 27, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  17. ^ a b c d e "Pro-Palestine edits trigger Wikipedia action | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. December 12, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  18. ^ a b c Rindsberg, Ashley. "How Wikipedia's Pro-Hamas Editors Hijacked the Israel-Palestine Narrative". www.piratewires.com. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  19. ^ Shvili, Jason (November 13, 2024). "Wikipedia's anti-Israel propaganda mocks objectivity and destroys its credibility". JNS.org. Retrieved July 9, 2025.