A wave of TikTok creators is decamping to UpScrolled after TikTok’s U.S. operations shifted to a majority American-led venture, fueling anxieties over algorithm changes and moderation priorities. UpScrolled shot into the top tier of Apple’s App Store charts in the U.S., U.K., and Australia, landing as high as No. 2 among free apps in the first two markets and cracking the top 10 in the third, as the newcomer scrambled to handle an unexpected flood of sign-ups.
The migration, driven by fears of suppressed reach for certain political topics and privacy concerns inside TikTok’s updated terms, pushed UpScrolled’s servers to their limits. The platform’s founder and CEO, Issam Hijazi, told users the team was rapidly scaling capacity after intermittent errors surfaced during the surge.
Why UpScrolled Is Booming After TikTok’s U.S. Shift
The flashpoint is TikTok’s new U.S. stewardship under TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, which will oversee recommendation systems and stateside content moderation. The group’s pledge to retrain the algorithm has amplified creator unease, particularly among users who worry that topics like pro-Palestinian advocacy or criticism of immigration enforcement could see diminished visibility under a different governance structure.
That apprehension was compounded by a brief TikTok outage soon after the ownership shift and by a terms-of-service tweak that allows the app to collect precise location data unless users opt out. While TikTok says it is reviewing complaints about certain terms and denies deliberate suppression of specific keywords, many creators are hedging—reserving handles, cross-posting videos, and encouraging followers to meet them on UpScrolled.
Oracle’s role in the venture has also animated debate. The company holds a 15% stake and stores U.S. TikTok user data, a continuity of the “Project Texas” posture designed to wall off American information. For some creators, any perceived political or corporate influence over recommendation pipelines is enough reason to diversify their audience elsewhere.
What Sets UpScrolled Apart From Rival Social Apps
UpScrolled leans hard into an ethos of transparency and reach equity. The app presents a chronological feed for accounts you follow, alongside a discovery feed ordered by engagement signals—likes, comments, and reshares—plus a touch of randomness intended to keep smaller voices visible. The company says forthcoming AI-driven recommendations will be opt-in, with clear explanations for how ranking works.
Its mission statement emphasizes no shadowbans, no covert throttling, and consistent enforcement—a pitch that resonates with creators who have long complained of opaque moderation on major platforms. Digital rights groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation have similarly called for explainable ranking and accessible appeals processes; UpScrolled’s launch rhetoric maps neatly to that playbook, even as the real test will be day-to-day enforcement at scale.
Hijazi, a Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian entrepreneur, has been outspoken about selective moderation across Big Tech. UpScrolled lists partners aligned with pro-Palestinian advocacy, including Tech for Palestine and Watermelon Pictures, signaling a willingness to host content that some users suspect might be de-ranked elsewhere. The company is headquartered in Australia and began rolling out publicly last year, positioning itself as a creator-first alternative to TikTok and Instagram.
Early Growth Mirrors Other Platform Shifts
Social media migrations often spike during moments of uncertainty, then settle into a test of product quality and network effects. After the sale of Twitter to Elon Musk, alternatives like Bluesky and Mastodon enjoyed bursts of sign-ups and attention; data from firms such as Sensor Tower and Similarweb have historically shown big download spikes followed by volatility in daily active users and retention.
Pew Research Center previously found that significant shares of U.S. Twitter users reported taking extended breaks during that tumult, underscoring how quickly trust can wobble when governance changes. UpScrolled’s chart-topping moment fits that pattern: attention surges first, sustained communities come later.
What To Watch Next As UpScrolled Faces Its Test
Three metrics will determine whether UpScrolled’s boom turns into staying power: creator earnings pathways, recommendation quality, and moderation consistency. If the company can deliver transparent ranking and fair enforcement while avoiding whiplash-inducing policy reversals, it could hold on to more than just protest downloads.
On TikTok’s side, how the retrained algorithm treats contentious topics—and how clearly those decisions are communicated—will influence whether creators return in force or continue building a beachhead elsewhere. Expect advertisers to watch the same signals: DAU growth, day-7 retention, and brand-safety incidents across both platforms.
For now, the story is straightforward: a governance pivot at a dominant platform opened a window for a challenger. Whether UpScrolled becomes a durable destination or a temporary refuge will hinge on execution, not just a surge up the charts.
