UpScrolleda social network that burnt after the change of ownership of TikTok in the US, faced a serious problem of moderation. completion has grown to more than 2.5 million users in January, users reported that the app did not work to create usernames and hashtags containing racial slurs, and was unable to properly moderate offensive content.

After receiving tips from UpScrolled users, TechCrunch confirmed the existence of a wide range of racial slurs and hate speech used in people’s usernames on the app. For example, some usernames will display the name of the slur itself, the slur combined with other words, or multiple slurs in one username; Some usernames contain hate speech, such as “Glory to Hitler.”

After reporting these abuses to UpScrolled’s public email address, we received a response from that email that the company “actively reviews and removes inappropriate content,” and is working to expand its moderation capacity. The email advised us not to engage with actors in bad faith while the situation is resolved.

Days after reporting this app activity, accounts with slurs in usernames provided to UpScrolled via screenshots remain online.

Additionally, slurs and hate speech appear elsewhere in the app, including hashtags and text used alongside its photo or video content, TechCrunch found. Other offensive content is available, including text posts containing racial slurs and hate speech, and photo and video content glorifying Hitler, according to TechCrunch’s review of the app.

TechCrunch is not alone in recognizing this problem; the ADL too published a blog post this monthnoted that UpScrolled has become home to antisemitic and extremist content and TEACH foreign terrorist organizations, such as Hamas and others.

UpScrolled, founded in 2025, claims on its website that the platform offers 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 – a number higher than the self-reported number at the start of the previous month.

But while UpScrolled’s FAQ explains that the app doesn’t “censor opinions,” it shows that it does Privacy policy is to prevent content that includes “illegal activity, hate speech, bullying, harassment, explicit nudity, unlicensed copyrighted material, or anything that is intended to be offensive.”

That guidance is similar to most modern social media platforms. It is clear, however, that the company is struggling to enforce its rules.

This is the 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, faced issues with slurs in account usernames in July 2023which led to users threatening to leave the site.

Following UpScrolled’s initial response to our inquiry, TechCrunch also received a response from the press account on Tuesday, pointing us to UpScrolled’s sponsor. by Issam Hijazi new videowhere he addresses content moderation issues.