TikTok restores Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda’s banned account

Award-winning Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda had her TikTok account restored hours after she reported that the platform had permanently banned her.

Owda is famously known for her daily videos documenting life in war-torn Gaza. After getting her account back, she noted that her profile is only reachable when her full username is searched, and many of her posts are now made “ineligible for recommendation.”

Bisan has been recognized internationally for her work and received Emmy and Peabody awards for her reporting on situation in Gaza.

Owda, linked the ban to recent changes at TikTok and other social platforms, claiming that these changes could affect how Palestinian voices are treated on social platforms.

In response to the ban, Owda announced she has joined UpScrolled, a Palestinian-owned social media app that has surged in downloads as some users look for an alternative space for freedom of expression especially from conflict zones where independent reporting remains significant.