What's UpScrolled, the app gaining popularity after TikTok's US takeover?

"Disgruntled TikTok users are flocking to the platform which is promising a transparent tech' experience. UpScrolled, a social media application created by Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian entrepreneur Issam Hijazi, has surged in popularity across several countries, including the United States, as many users looked for an alternative to TikTok, which was formally taken over by US-backed investors and companies last week. With Larry Ellison, the owner of Oracle, who is a staunch supporter of Israel and a friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,"

"On Wednesday, TikTok permanently banned Emmy Award-winning journalist and Al Jazeera contributor from Gaza, Bisan Owda, sparking outrage and boycott calls from her supporters. The app has also been accused of content censorship around unprecedented ICE violence in the US. UpScrolled, which was founded only a year ago, surprisingly climbed to the top spot of US app downloads this week, ranking number one in the social networking category of Apple's App Store free apps by Wednesday."

"The app, meanwhile, is gaining thousands of new downloads as disgruntled TikTok users flock to the platform, pulled by its promise of transparent tech. The flood of new users momentarily crashed the platform's servers over the weekend, UpScrolled reported. Here's what we know about the new app that's stirring up the social media space: Issam Hijazi [X/@iHijazi] UpScrolled enables the trio of photos, short-form video and text posts, making it feel like a combination of X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram."

Disgruntled TikTok users have migrated to UpScrolled amid ownership changes and growing concerns about censorship of pro-Palestine content. TikTok permanently banned Al Jazeera contributor Bisan Owda, prompting outrage and boycott calls. UpScrolled, founded by Issam Hijazi about a year ago, surged to the top of App Store social networking downloads in the US and performed strongly in the UK, Canada and Australia. Thousands of new downloads briefly crashed UpScrolled's servers. The app supports photos, short-form video and text posts with an interface similar to X and Instagram, and early use emphasizes text and photos.

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