A new social media platform, UpScrolled, has rapidly risen in popularity, becoming the most downloaded app on Apple’s App Store in the US, UK, and Australia, and ranking eighth in Pakistan. The platform was created by Palestinian technologist Issam Hijazi, who built it in response to perceived censorship on mainstream platforms during the Israel-Gaza conflict.
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Hijazi said he was frustrated as posts and news from independent journalists about the war were increasingly throttled or hidden online. “The truth was essentially being silenced or throttled,” he said. Motivated to amplify Palestinian voices, he left his corporate job to launch UpScrolled, a self-built and self-financed platform without venture capital backing.
UpScrolled, a Palestinian owned social media app with no censorship and no biased algorithms, has exploded in the last 24 hours, with over 100,000 new users signing up.
UpScrolled is a short-form video app developed by Palestinian-Australian developer Issam Hijazi. The platform… pic.twitter.com/R3NPgZjDfr
— 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) January 26, 2026
The app has a layout reminiscent of Instagram, offering a Following feed, sorted chronologically, and a Discover feed, ranked by popularity with some decay and randomness. According to its website, UpScrolled does not push political or commercial agendas, and moderation of illegal or guideline-violating content is intended to be human-led, transparent, and apolitical.
Hijazi emphasized that while the platform’s creation was politically motivated, its growth relies on a diverse global community. “Ambitious? Maybe. Revolutionary? No,” he said. “I want UpScrolled to be everyone’s platform.”
The platform briefly went offline due to a surge of new users but is scaling its servers to handle growth. Analysts note that UpScrolled’s rise coincides with TikTok’s US operations shifting to majority American ownership, a move that some critics describe as pro-Israel. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has praised UpScrolled for “protecting free speech” during what it calls TikTok’s “censorship spree.”
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UpScrolled’s emergence signals the growing demand for alternatives that promise freedom from algorithmic suppression and political bias, appealing to users seeking a more open and chronological social media experience.