At Web Summit Qatar 2026, CircleCI founder and long-time open-source advocate Paul Biggar delivered a powerful message challenging the tech industry’s long-held stance of political neutrality. Biggar announced a major strategic expansion of his global initiative, Tech For Palestine, calling for the technology community to reject “silent complicity” and take direct action in support of Palestinian rights.
Speaking in Doha, Biggar detailed the initiative’s evolution from a personal moral stand into a thriving technical ecosystem with over 80 active projects and more than 10,000 members globally.
From Neutral Tools to Systems of Power
Biggar argued that the era of viewing technology as neutral infrastructure is over. He emphasized that the Web Summit Qatar stage provides a critical venue for technologists to rethink their responsibilities as architects of social systems, not just products.
“Today’s platforms don’t just host content,” he said. “They actively shape narratives, behaviors, and political outcomes. When aligned with state power, technology becomes part of an enforcement system.”
Tech For Palestine aims to challenge the dominance of Big Tech by creating ethical, parallel technological pathways built on principles of transparency, privacy, and human rights.
Launching Ethical Alternatives
Biggar highlighted several key projects emerging from the initiative, including:
- Thaura: An ethical AI platform designed as an alternative to mainstream generative AI, prioritizing data privacy and independence from Big Tech infrastructure.
- A decentralized Instagram alternative: Engineered to enable content sharing free from algorithmic suppression, shadow-banning, and politically biased moderation.
- Open-source tools: A suite of applications to support boycott campaigns, media monitoring, and narrative analysis concerning Palestine.
“We’re not just building apps,” Biggar stated. “We’re designing systems where human rights are the starting point—not an afterthought.”
Supporting Whistleblowers Inside Big Tech
A core component of the initiative involves creating a support network for employees within corporations like Google, Meta, and Microsoft who expose projects linked to surveillance or military use cases. Citing reports of Microsoft cloud infrastructure allegedly being used for surveillance data storage, Biggar stressed the urgency of the situation.
“The industry has crossed from bad to worse,” Biggar remarked. “We now routinely see massive corporations aligning with oppressive policies because it’s profitable.”
Tech For Palestine provides career pathways, financial backing, and a community for tech professionals who resign or are dismissed over ethical objections.
Forging A Third Path in Tech Careers
Biggar challenged what he called a false binary in the tech labor market: choosing between high salaries and moral integrity.
“We’re here to prove there’s a third option,” he declared. “You can build meaningful technology, earn a living, and refuse to contribute to systems of oppression.”
He officially opened membership for individuals, startups, and investors to contribute skills, capital, or infrastructure to the initiative’s growing portfolio. Biggar’s closing appeal urged founders and VCs to redefine success, measuring it not by user growth or valuation, but by whether their technology expands or restricts human freedom.
About Tech For Palestine
Tech For Palestine is a global initiative and community of developers, founders, and investors dedicated to building ethical technology in support of Palestinian rights. The movement focuses on creating open-source and decentralized alternatives to Big Tech platforms, supporting ethical whistleblowers, and fostering an ecosystem where technology serves human freedom and dignity.
Source: Arab Founders
