Palestinian-owned app soars to top of rankings as antisemitic content spirals out of control

The app ranked second overall in downloads behind ChatGPT and first among social networking platforms. 

UpScrolled climbed to the top of Apple’s App Store rankings this week as users sought alternatives following the partial sale of TikTok’s US operations, but the fast-growing platform has also been filled with antisemitic and anti-Israel material.

On Wednesday, the app ranked second overall in downloads behind ChatGPT and first among social networking platforms. By Thursday morning, founder Issam Hijazi announced it had reached one million users, up from roughly 90,000 regular users earlier this month.

Hijazi, born in Jordan and now living in Australia, has described UpScrolled as a response to what he calls censorship of pro-Palestinian voices on mainstream platforms. Speaking at ArabCon in Dearborn, Michigan, in September, he said the Gaza war and the deaths of 60 members of his family changed his perspective on working in the tech industry.

“I was one of those users. I was posting about what’s happening in the genocide,” he said. “I’ve got friends all over Europe, the US, and everywhere [and I was] asking them, do you see this content? They say, what content?”

The app’s rise comes as an investor group led by Larry Ellison reached a deal to purchase TikTok’s US operations under US law, a move backed by Jewish Federations of North America and other organizations that cited antisemitism on TikTok as a concern.

Influencer Guy Christensen urged followers to download UpScrolled, calling it a platform free of billionaire control and censorship. Within days, users encountered posts praising Iran’s Supreme Leader, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas, along with Holocaust denial and slurs against Jews.

“This is a safe space to openly say, I stand with Khamenei, Hezbollah, Houthis, & Hamas #ResistanceIsNotTerrorism,” read one post highlighted on the app’s discover page.

UpScrolled’s website states that it prohibits hate speech, violence, and support for terrorist groups, and offers in-app reporting tools. Spokesperson Gabriella Bord said moderators had struggled to keep pace with the surge in activity and were expanding trust and safety efforts in response.