UpScrolled is the social platform where all voices have the same power. We are a small team building what big tech companies stopped doing. Exciting? «Censored on other platforms? Come here,» says the tagline of a new social network that has drawn attention for its no-censorship policy. While on platforms like X or Instagram the worst atrocities by Zionists were being justified, in Argentina, for example, with Sergeant Pikholtz explicitly promoting the murder of girls and children in Gaza, an unequal censorship was applied to those who spoke out, showing an ever more evident double standard. This week, following TikTok's announcement of a $14 billion deal to establish a U.S. subsidiary and to censor any negative use of the word 'Zionist,' and the brutal censorship that shut down the account of journalist and filmmaker Bisan Owda, who had over a million followers, a massive migration to this network began. There, we see new companies emerging, even spanning different editorial lines. All that until the advent of the internet forced an adaptation that wiped out many smaller companies and sparked a crisis in journalism that continues today: just look at the collective bargaining agreements for press workers, which are always on the decline, with increasing precariousness and layoffs. But new forms of communication also appeared, often disguised as 'independent' but not so: streaming channels. Not here. UpScrolled is the social platform where all voices have the same power,» says the opening line of a letter on its website. From there, many videos that other networks censored were circulated, and in the wake of this circulation and over-publicization on Meta, methods to evade censorship were also developed. U.S. President Donald Trump recognized the value of TikTok during his recent campaigns and, through vile threats, propaganda, and legal measures, had tried to seize the platform to put it at the service of his political agenda and that of the Israeli regime. Today, every person who communicates and receives some remuneration belongs to some hegemonic medium, but they do so without the labor conquests of other times. Those struggles were a counterweight and, in some way, controlled or partially restrained the operations, forcing hegemonic media to have to sustain their legitimacy: while media operations or censorship were not prevented, at least they presented limits. In this way, 'the great Argentine newspaper' had to appear plural (at least in appearance) to maintain a massive audience that consumes it, other media like 'the Mitre dynasty' presented themselves as a medium aimed at affluent sectors (or those who aspire to be), while other alternatives appeared, such as the progressive-profile newspaper that maintained its 'leftist' niche during the 90s and that still exists today under another business group, and also 'yellow and popular' profile media that maintained their circulation. 'Be patient, shared the account of this network on one of its competitors: X. Hijazi was blunt in his criticism of traditional platforms, accusing them of prioritizing economic gain over principles and betraying the values they claim to defend. But that broadcast was omitted by traditional hegemonic media, and hegemonic social networks began to censor, from attacks on specific accounts to changing 'rules' by censoring words or certain publications. View of rubble in Gaza. Only authentic connection where your content reaches the people who matter most,» indicates the social network on its website. Upscrolled is not the only alternative network that has shown growth in recent days and is far from the only existing alternative, but the truth is that its growth, if it deepens, could present an important counterweight to hegemonic networks. You can download the app at this link. There have always been struggles, disputes, counter-powers. Business lobbying or the direct purchase of those media was the resource to control narratives. The methodology didn't change much; what changed were the technologies and the different ways of communicating in the 21st century. Until a few weeks ago, TikTok, with its strange and contradictory way of communicating, showed a counterpoint by not being regulated by the West. File photo. Despite the censorship (which also affected this medium), a cruelty never before seen could be observed…. Monetized accounts belong to that network and must account for their goals. each post or action (liking, sharing another post) presents a second question, meaning you have to approve the action twice. No hidden censorship. But this impact also affected its own operation: the massive influx of traffic caused its servers to crash on January 26, a situation the company acknowledged frankly by declaring: 'You all showed up so fast our servers tapped out' (they arrived so fast that our servers were emptied). 'They showed up so fast our servers crashed. No favoritism for payment. Frustrating? In an interview, Hijazi revealed he lost more than 60 family members in Gaza, and that UpScrolled was his modest but significant response to that loss. About this new network UpScrolled is presented as a hybrid between Instagram and X. On one hand, it allows posting with the possibility of attaching a photo or video. A brief review of the crisis in communication that urges the construction of alternatives. Are we facing a concrete possibility of breaking with the hegemonic? By Ramiro Giganti (ANRed). New hegemonic media and new censorship: concentrated networks At the end of the 20th century, the dispute for the narrative took place, beyond physical presence, in traditional media: newspapers, radio, and later television. This discussion was happening worldwide with many accounts and with the censorship of trends and hashtags like #FreePalestine. No algorithmic manipulation. as of January 27, 2026. The network is mainly designed to post from a cell phone, and the download can be generated via Apple or Google Store, depending on the device. 'Censored on other platforms? Come here.' The false sense of independence also happens in other areas of work in 'apps,' from food or product delivery companies to those that replaced taxis and remises. The Magnets or Rupert Murdochs of yesterday (who maintain power today) are the Mark Zuckerbergs, Elon Musks, or Jeff Bezoses of today. If the media of the past needed a certain restraint to maintain that hegemony, today the social counter-power seems more dormant, or perhaps trapped in an unknown labyrinth where everything seems to be controlled. Also fueled by the struggles against the repressive and murderous actions of ICE, which has already claimed two lives so far this year. Rebellion in the streets and in the networks After TikTok's 'restructuring,' a significant number of users accused the app of censoring political content, especially related to criticism of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or information about protests in Minneapolis following the death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old civilian, by officers, last Saturday. The struggle against ICE could be spread without censorship on UpScrolled Singer Billie Eilish stated on Instagram last Monday that TikTok 'is silencing people' and gave as an example the few views a video by her brother, musician Finneas O'Connell, had gotten, in which he criticized those who justified Pretti's murder. Eighteen hours after the post, O'Connell's video had 46,000 'likes' and 137,000 views on TikTok, a figure lower than his recent posts, which have hundreds of thousands or millions of views, indicating something was wrong. Beyond this particular episode, users and content creators have denounced substantial changes in the terms of service, specifically regarding GPS tracking and a supposed algorithmic suppression, known as shadowbanning, of content critical of the current political administration, which has led to an investigation announced by California Governor Gavin Newsom. The 'virtual murder' of Bisan's account and the announcement to censor the word 'Zionist,' by Adam Presser, the newly appointed CEO of TikToken's U.S. joint venture, evidenced the undeniable and generated this migration to a new alternative that had already existed for 6 months. UpScrolled's growth Many media activists agree that the most promising innovation in this struggle comes from this network created by Issam Hijazi: a Palestinian-origin technologist who currently resides in Australia, the country where he was born and, after regaining his freedom, returned to live, like Julian Assange. Profile photo of Issam Hijazi Issam Hijazi is the founder and CEO of UpScrolled. This is how the scenario of a 'genocide in the open, transmitted live,' as it is often characterized, was presented. Together, the new partners own a 50% stake, while ByteDance retains a 19.9% stake. Other Meta networks also began to experience an increase in censorship that had long been denounced. YouTube removed a huge number of videos in recent months, all linked to the denunciation of Israeli actions in Palestine. But the last straw happened last week when, after TikTok's sale announcement and its harsher censorship against any critical use of the word 'Zionist' and the direct deletion of Bisan Owda's account, which had over 1.4 million followers, a massive migration to another network began in the U.S. Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian, Hijazi has a distinguished career working with global tech giants like IBM and Oracle, and has lived in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Australia. Although some reports indicate he started working on the platform as early as late 2023, Hijazi gained notoriety for creating a space that actively counters mass censorship and shadowbanning (hidden censorship or algorithmic suppression) of pro-Palestinian voices, a practice increasingly visible in TikTok and widely documented in Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other social networks. The app managed to scale rapidly to reach the number one spot in the Social Networking category and the number two spot in the overall ranking of free apps on the U.S. App Store. A new social network created in Australia last July is topping the download charts in app stores in the U.S. UpScrolled was designed by Issam Hijazi, a Palestinian-origin programmer who currently resides in Australia. it also allows including a link, which is automatically embedded to be visited, which allows sharing links to news articles. At this time, there is no known strict time limit for videos, although long and heavy videos take longer to load. But beyond the purchase of media, there are other ways to control the narrative through sponsors and the financing of 'influencers' who present themselves as 'independent.' Then, in September 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was secretly recorded boasting to a group of influencers at the Israeli consulate in New York that TikTok was 'the most important purchase happening right now.' He is also responsible for Recursive Methods Pty Ltd, a company based in Australia. The figures report a technical volume of approximately 140,000 total downloads with a peak of 41,000 new installations in a critical 48-hour period. Besides TikTok, he described X (Twitter) as 'key weapons within the Israeli arsenal.' A few days ago, TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sold its majority stake to a U.S. consortium led by Trump ally Larry Ellison, along with Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX. Here no. Also. Yes.
