As TikTok’s future in the United States grows increasingly uncertain, a wave of censorship allegations is colliding with a broader reckoning over who controls the modern digital public square. In that vacuum, a new platform — UpScrolled — is rapidly emerging as both a political flashpoint and a practical alternative for users who believe their voices are being quietly muted.
Allegations of Suppressed Speech
Over the past several days, TikTok users across the United States have reported that posts containing politically sensitive terms — including “Epstein” and “ICE” — are being blocked outright, flagged as community guideline violations, or left sitting at zero views. Videos critical of former President Donald Trump, as well as footage documenting ICE raids and protests — including demonstrations in Minneapolis — have reportedly been throttled or buried.
California State Senator Scott Wiener says a TikTok video he posted explaining proposed legislation that would allow people to sue ICE agents was effectively shadow-banned. While his other content performed normally, that video remained stuck at zero views.
“TikTok is now state-controlled media,” Wiener said.
TikTok has attributed the problems to a “major infrastructure failure” caused by a power outage at a U.S. data center, citing cascading system errors such as missing views, blocked posts, and disappearing engagement. Critics, however, argue that infrastructure failures do not selectively suppress politically sensitive keywords or specific forms of government criticism.
“What we’re watching isn’t a bug,” one widely shared post argued. “It’s a stress test.”
Ownership Shift Raises Red Flags
The controversy did not arise in a vacuum. It followed closely on the heels of TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, being forced to hand over majority control of its U.S. operations to a group of American investors reportedly aligned with Trump-era political interests.
Since that transfer, complaints of censorship have piled up — not from fringe users, but from elected officials and verified creators. California Governor Gavin Newsom has publicly announced a state-level investigation into whether TikTok is violating California law by suppressing Trump-critical content, after screenshots circulated showing the word “Epstein” being blocked outright.
To critics, this represents a modern form of “soft censorship”: no bans, no police at the door — just invisible throttles, muted keywords, and a public square quietly fenced in behind the scenes.
“You don’t lose democracy all at once,” one viral post concluded. “You lose it word by word.”
Enter UpScrolled: A Platform Built Against Shadow-Banning
Amid this turmoil, UpScrolled has surged in popularity. The app was founded by Issam Hijazi, a Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian software engineer with a background at IBM and Oracle. Hijazi created the platform explicitly in response to what he describes as opaque moderation systems, algorithmic suppression, and political bias on major social networks.
UpScrolled allows users to post short-form videos, photos, and text — a familiar format for TikTok users — but promises a fundamentally different distribution model. According to the company, content is not shadow-banned, reach is not artificially capped, and visibility is driven by user engagement rather than hidden ranking systems.
Hijazi has said the goal is simple: ensure that “every voice has equal power,” regardless of political belief, nationality, or subject matter. While UpScrolled enforces baseline rules against violence and illegal activity, it markets itself as far less restrictive when it comes to controversial or politically sensitive topics.
Since the TikTok ownership shift and censorship backlash, UpScrolled has climbed app store rankings and experienced a sharp spike in downloads, particularly among journalists, activists, and politically engaged users.
Other TikTok Alternatives Gaining Attention
UpScrolled is not alone. A broader ecosystem of TikTok alternatives is benefiting from declining trust in legacy platforms. Among the most commonly cited options:
Instagram Reels – Deeply integrated with Instagram, but governed by Meta’s moderation policies
YouTube Shorts – Strong discoverability, heavier monetization controls
Clapper – Markets itself as pro-free speech, U.S.-based
Rumble – Popular among political creators, long-form focus
Still, analysts note that many past TikTok challengers failed to sustain momentum. What makes UpScrolled different, they argue, is timing: it is emerging precisely as trust in Big Tech moderation and political neutrality is eroding.
A Digital Crossroads
Whether UpScrolled ultimately becomes a lasting competitor or a momentary refuge remains to be seen. But its rapid rise highlights a deeper shift underway in 2026: millions of users are no longer just debating content — they are questioning who controls the platforms that shape public discourse itself.
As TikTok faces investigations, lawsuits, and mounting political scrutiny, alternatives like UpScrolled are no longer niche experiments. They are becoming central to a growing debate over censorship, power, and the future of free expression online.
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