For those unfamiliar with UpScrolled, a concise introduction: It functions as a social media service quite similar to platforms such as Instagram or TikTok. Users can upload images or concise clips, subscribe to profiles, engage with content, and cultivate a personal audience. Hardly groundbreaking, one might think?
Issam Hijazi, the founder of UpScrolled, would strongly contend otherwise. His emerging venture, in fact, deviates significantly from most established tech giants in several key aspects. UpScrolled provides a traditional, sequenced timeline, diverging from feeds governed by algorithms purportedly delivering content users will engage with. Furthermore, the platform explicitly vows not to disseminate user data to advertising agencies or other commercial entities. Hijazi, who is of Palestinian origin, established UpScrolled as a direct reaction to numerous user claims that certain social media corporations were suppressing or covertly restricting visibility of their posts—especially pro-Palestinian material. The platform openly pledges “never” to secretly stifle content, as long as it adheres to UpScrolled’s community guidelines.
Beyond departing from numerous conventions of established tech giants, Hijazi’s perspective is uncommon among tech moguls for being distinctly, explicitly political. (During our dialogue, Hijazi confirmed that he “personally” made certain UpScrolled users could not select Israel as a geographical tag when utilizing the platform.) Despite this, his methodology has gained traction: When we first encountered each other in February, just eight months after Hijazi introduced UpScrolled, the platform had quickly garnered 2.5 million users. This surge followed distress over TikTok’s agreement with President Trump to establish an American-controlled version of the company, managed by US investors. At that juncture, Hijazi remained UpScrolled’s sole staff member.
Today, with UpScrolled currently boasting over 5 million users, Hijazi has hastened to expand his workforce to address the platform’s escalating demands—especially concerning the regulation of content. Lately, his company has become a target for groups such as the Anti-Defamation League, which asserts it does not do nearly enough to eradicate hateful and radical content. During an extensive discussion last week, I posed inquiries to Hijazi regarding those claims, and how UpScrolled is addressing its own swift expansion.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
KATIE DRUMMOND: Hi, Issam, welcome to The Big Interview.
ISSAM HIJAZI: Hi, Katie. Thank you for having me.
I’m delighted by your presence. I want to commence with your professional journey, which is quite captivating. Formerly, you’ve been employed by major technology firms, including IBM and Oracle. Could you discuss your past engagement with technology and how it influenced your opinions on the broader tech sector, and digital social platforms more specifically?
I’ve been involved in the tech sector for over the last 17 and a half years. Before that, I began programming when I was 12 years old. Thus, I was quite engaged with information technology and computing from a very nascent period. Throughout my professional life, as you indicated, I collaborated with corporations such as Oracle, IBM, and Hitachi, and subsequently with emerging businesses.
For a newly minted professional, that represents an aspirational position—something every young person desires. These are excellent firms with cutting-edge innovations, offering ample prospects for acquiring knowledge. However, as one begins to comprehend the inner workings of these companies, a question arises: Is this truly the appropriate environment? This sentiment emerged for me over the last three years, prompting me to redirect my efforts toward initiating a novel venture.
These corporations have been implicated in detrimental events unfolding globally. Atrocities such as the genocide in Gaza, for instance, are facilitated by their providing technology, foundational systems, technical expertise, and so forth, to nations like Israel. They enable these countries to conduct monitoring operations. From a personal standpoint, I felt implicated simply by my employment with them, and I wished to depart.
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