The YouKnow Initiative is designed to bring activists, journalists, bloggers and citizens together with decision-makers, including the Palestinian Authority (PA), healthcare providers, telecommunications, and businesses.
The platform "resembles Facebook, Twitter; any number of social media sites," said Saed Karzoun, the founder of YouKnow. Once they register, Palestinians "can post anything they want, without limits", Karzoun told Al Jazeera. Currently, the application is available only via web browsers, but Karzoun hopes to build a smartphone application in the future.
Complaints, documented through videos and photos, about unpaved roads or unfinished infrastructure, for example, can be posted along with 300 characters of text. The user selects the official to whom the report will be sent from a list of officials and ministries. It then becomes available for all users to read.
After the complaint is posted, a "change" button allows for the official to respond. They can show that the issue has been addressed, or explain that it's not within their domain.
"We hope to address people's anger and frustration against decision-makers," Karzoun explained. "The more information [officials] provide, the more understanding there will be between Palestinians and their leaders."