UpScrolleda social network that caught fire after TikTok changed ownership in the US is facing a serious moderation problem. After growing to more than 2.5 million users in January, users reported that the app did not take steps to create usernames and hashtags containing racial slurs and that it was unable to properly moderate harmful content.
After receiving tips from UpScrolled users, TechCrunch confirmed the existence of a wide range of racial slurs and hate speech used in usernames on the app. For example, some usernames will display the slur name itself, the slur combined with other words, or multiple slurs in a single username. other usernames contain hate speech, such as “Glory to Hitler”.
After reporting these abuses to UpScrolled’s public email address, we received a response from this email that the company “actively monitors and removes inappropriate content” and is working to expand its moderation capability. The email advised us not to engage with bad actors while the situation is resolved.
Days after this activity was reported to the app, accounts with offending usernames provided to UpScrolled via screenshots remained online.
In addition, insults and hate speech can be found elsewhere in the app, including hashtags and text used alongside photo or video content, according to TechCrunch. Other harmful content was available, including text posts with racial slurs and hate speech, as well as photo and video content that glorified Hitler, according to TechCrunch’s review of the app.
TechCrunch wasn’t alone in spotting this problem. the ADL as well published a blog post this monthnoting that UpScrolled was becoming the home of anti-Semitic and extremist content and is defined foreign terrorist organizations such as Hamas and others.
UpScrolled, which was founded in 2025, claims on its website that the platform gives every voice “equal power.” The app has seen more than 4 million downloads on iOS and Android since June 2025, according to the market intelligence provider Appfigures — number even higher than the number the startup itself reported last month.
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But while UpScrolled FAQ explains that the app does not “censor opinions”, it indicates that it is policy is to restrict content that includes “illegal activity, hate speech, bullying, harassment, explicit nudity, unlicensed copyrighted material, or anything intended to cause harm.”
This guidance is similar to most modern social media platforms. It is clear, however, that the company is struggling to enforce its rules.
It’s a battle that social networks often face — especially those that receive a large influx of new users in a short period of time. Bluesky, for example, experienced problems with account usernames being hacked in July 2023, which led to users threatening to leave the site.
Following UpScrolled’s initial response to our query, TechCrunch also received a response from the press account on Tuesday, which directs us to UpScrolled’s founder by Issam Hijazi new videowhere he addressed the issues with content control.
At videoconfirmed that users are uploading “harmful content” that is against UpScrolled’s terms of service and the company’s beliefs.
“We offer everyone the freedom to express and share their opinions in a healthy and respectful digital environment,” Hijazi said. To create that environment, he said the company is “rapidly expanding our content moderation team and upgrading our technology infrastructure so we can catch and remove harmful content more effectively.”
