UpScrolled Surges to Top of App Store Charts
A Palestinian-founded social platform rises amid TikTok censorship concerns and ownership changes
Timeline of Events
How UpScrolled rose from a small platform to a major TikTok alternative
The Genesis
Following the October 7 attacks and subsequent Israeli military operations in Gaza, Palestinian-Australian technologist Issam Hijazi lost more than 60 family members in Gaza. He observed that meaningful stories about Palestine disappeared from social media feeds while misinformation thrived. This prompted him to create an alternative platform where content would not be censored or shadowbanned.
UpScrolled Launches
UpScrolled officially launched with support from the Tech for Palestine incubator. The platform promised no shadowbans, no hidden throttling, and no pay-to-play favoritism. Former IBM and Oracle developer Hijazi built the app as a space for authentic expression with transparent algorithms and chronological feeds.
TikTok Ownership Deal Announced
A group of three investors including Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based investment company MGX announced plans to take roughly 50% stake in TikTok U.S. operations. ByteDance would retain less than 20% ownership to comply with a 2024 federal law requiring separation from Chinese ownership.
TikTok Deal Finalized
TikTok’s U.S. operations officially came under new ownership with Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, a known Trump ally, as a major stakeholder. Users immediately raised concerns about potential censorship, with #TikTokCensorship trending across social platforms. Reports emerged of suppressed content about Palestine and immigration enforcement actions.
Server Overload and Explosive Growth
TikTok experienced a power outage at a U.S. data center, causing posts to take longer to publish. Amid censorship allegations from Senator Chris Murphy, Billie Eilish, and other influencers, users flooded to UpScrolled. The platform’s servers crashed due to overwhelming demand. Downloads surged by 85% in one week, with 41,000 downloads between Thursday and Saturday alone.
Reaching the Top Charts
UpScrolled hit #2 on Apple’s App Store for free apps in the U.S., surpassing TikTok in the rankings. The platform reached #1 in the social networking category, overtaking Meta’s Threads, WhatsApp, and TikTok. Similar rankings appeared in the UK, Australia, and other countries. The app reached 140,000 total downloads with most growth coming from the U.S., followed by Europe, UK, and Australia.
What Makes UpScrolled Different
The platform’s commitment to transparency and user freedom
No Shadowbans
Every post has a fair chance to be seen. UpScrolled explicitly rejects shadowbanning practices that hide content without notifying users. The platform uses transparent moderation where users know if and why content is restricted.
Active PolicyTransparent Algorithms
The Following feed shows posts chronologically with no manipulation. The Discover feed ranks content by engagement metrics (likes, comments, reshares) with light time decay and randomness so all posts can surface.
Open SystemNo Pay-to-Play
UpScrolled rejects pay-to-play favoritism where creators or brands can purchase visibility. All content is treated equally regardless of financial investment, putting organic reach on equal footing with paid promotion.
Zero FavoritismEqual Content Moderation
The platform only restricts content that violates community guidelines or legal standards: illegal activity, hate speech, bullying, harassment, explicit nudity, and unlicensed copyrighted material. No selective censorship of political viewpoints.
Ethical StandardsHuman-Led Moderation
Rather than relying solely on AI algorithms, UpScrolled emphasizes human-led moderation to ensure context and nuance are considered. This approach aims to support authentic expression and minority voices.
People-FirstNo Data Sales
Unlike platforms that monetize user data, UpScrolled explicitly states it does not sell user information to third parties. Users are not treated as products for big corporations to exploit for advertising revenue.
Privacy ProtectedUnderstanding the Shift
Why users are moving to UpScrolled
The Founder’s Story
Issam Hijazi, a Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian developer who previously worked at IBM and Oracle, created UpScrolled after losing more than 60 family members in Gaza. He witnessed meaningful stories disappearing from feeds and felt compelled to build an alternative where voices would not be silenced.
Censorship Concerns
Following TikTok’s ownership change, users reported suppressed content about Palestine, anti-Trump videos, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. Pro-Palestinian creators began receiving warnings and seeing drastically reduced reach, accelerating the migration to alternative platforms.
Global Movement
UpScrolled’s rise represents a broader shift where users seek platforms that prioritize transparency and authentic expression. The app ranks in the top charts across the U.S., UK, and Australia. Organizations like 7amleh, the Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media, have joined the platform.
Platform Features at a Glance
Multi-Format Content
Supports short-form videos, text posts, photos, stories, carousel posts, and vertical video – combining the best features of Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok.
Dual Feed System
Following feed displays posts chronologically from accounts you follow. Discover feed uses engagement metrics with time decay and randomness for content discovery.
Built-In Video Editing
Includes native video editing tools and other features to help creators produce engaging content directly within the app without external software.
Trending Discovery
Discovery page features trending topics and hashtags to help users find relevant conversations and content that matters to them.
Mental Health Focus
Algorithms intentionally avoid addiction mechanics. The platform aims to connect people rather than keep them endlessly scrolling, especially important for younger users.
Community Guidelines
Clear, ethical standards that restrict only illegal activity, hate speech, bullying, harassment, explicit nudity, and unlicensed copyrighted material.
