TikTok creators flock to UpScrolled app after U.S. takeover. Here's why
CBC
Thousands of creators are deleting TikTok and flocking elsewhere just days after a change in ownership and mounting claims of widespread censorship and shadowbanning, or reduced reach, on the app.
But where are they going?
One of the apps that saw millions of downloads in the aftermath of TikTok's U.S. operations becoming a majority controlled by an American-owned joint venture is UpScrolled — a new Sydney-based platform pitching itself as a censorship-free app and created by a Palestinian tech developer.
Why is there a reported exodus from the massively popular app and how are new users reacting to the new platform?
The app, which launched in 2025, was created by Issam Hijazi, an Australian Palestinian entrepreneur born in Jordan.
On its website, UpScrolled describes itself as the social platform "where every voice gets equal power," was designed to counter reported suppression of pro-Palestinian content on rivalling mainstream platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X.
"No shadowbans. No algorithmic games. No pay-to-play favouritism. Just authentic connection where your content reaches the people who matter most," it said.
Hijazi said he noticed social media restrictions and decreased visibility while "watching the genocide in Gaza unfold in real time." That experience inspired him to create and self-fund the platform as an alternative.
"UpScrolled does not tolerate hate speech, propaganda, or bad-faith behaviour, but it also refuses to silence voices quietly or without explanation," he wrote. "It is not a free-for-all; it is a space built on dignity, accountability and respect."
Censorship claims, technical problems and a report of a surge in app deletions are just some of the challenges TikTok, which is used by more than 200 million Americans, is facing as it adjusts to its new U.S. ownership structure.
The group that will form the new TikTok U.S. joint venture includes software giant Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX. Oracle is run by billionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison, drawing widespread concern over potential censorship under the new ownership.
TikTok's U.S. algorithm will be retrained with only Americans' data, according to the reported agreement. The new investor-controlled entity will set content moderation rules around what is permitted and what is not.
Bisan Owda, an Emmy-award winning journalist and activist, who shared harrowing stories out of Gaza amid Israel's deadly two-year offensive in the enclave, is one of the latest creators to join UpScrolled.
Last week, Owda said she had regained her TikTok account after it was deleted shortly following the acquisition.
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Thousands of creators are deleting TikTok and flocking elsewhere just days after a change in ownership and mounting claims of widespread censorship and shadowbanning, or reduced reach, on the app.
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