Observed Signal · Feb 11, 2026 · Policy Update · Source: techcrunch · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Negative
UpScrolled Faces Hate Speech Crisis Amid Rapid Growth
UpScrolled, a social network founded in 2025 that rapidly grew after TikTok's U.S. ownership change, is facing significant content-moderation failures. TechCrunch found usernames, hashtags, text posts and photo/video content containing racial slurs, antisemitic material and praise for extremist figures. Appfigures reports the app has over 4 million downloads since June 2025, and UpScrolled said it reached more than 2.5 million users in January. The company told TechCrunch it is expanding its moderation team and upgrading its technology, and founder Issam Hijazi acknowledged harmful uploads in a video. Days after reporting, some flagged accounts with slurs remained online. The ADL also published findings noting antisemitic and extremist content on the platform.
A fast-growing social platform hosting hate speech raises brand-safety and trust risks for advertisers and publishers; industry monitoring and possible platform-level responses are likely.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- UpScrolled founded in 2025.
- TechCrunch reported widespread racial slurs and hate speech in usernames, hashtags, posts and media on UpScrolled.
- UpScrolled grew to more than 2.5 million users in January; Appfigures reports over 4 million downloads since June 2025.
- UpScrolled said it is expanding its content-moderation team and upgrading its moderation technology; founder Issam Hijazi publicly addressed the issue.
- The ADL published findings that UpScrolled was becoming home to antisemitic and extremist content, including references to designated foreign terrorist organizations.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
AWNY, Jupiter Fest Spotlight Agentic Ads and Open Web
Advertising Week New York and the inaugural Jupiter Festival Miami highlighted the industry's shift toward agentic advertising and anxieties about the open web's future. Major announcements included TikTok's off-platform ad expansion and a new AI shopping agent, Meta's AI campaign assistant testing, and OpenAI's visual ads introduction. Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery closed, forming Skydance. Key themes were the threat of AI to publisher traffic, the rise of AI visibility tools, the early stage of agentic media buying, unsolved cross-platform measurement, and the booming sports and retail media sectors. Deals included PubX's acquisition of Compliant and a $5 million Series A, and OpenAI's reported $30 billion round talks with BlackRock and UAE investors.
Getting Fired, Risk and Ambition at Changemakers
The Marketing Society's Changemakers conference explored career resilience, ambition, and failure. Speakers included Laura Brown, former InStyle EIC, who discussed her layoff and the importance of personal equity separate from job titles. Sofia Hernandez, ex-TikTok executive, talked about leaving a high-powered role for health reasons and the evaporation of corporate status. Wendy Kula, now CMO of Saucony, took a year off after Nike restructure to combat burnout. Maryam Banikarim, former Hyatt CMO, stepped away at 50 to prioritize family. Sam Tomlinson, CEO of MediaSense, advocated for a 'learn fast' culture and criticized corporate risk elimination over risk management. The event focused on defining success beyond big titles and embracing failure as a growth path.
OK Future's AI 'Pressure Cooker' Campaign for Goodwipes
Former MullenLowe U.S. CEO Frank Cartagena launched creative shop OK Future to test generative AI's potential for a small agency. Their first project, a spoof of OpenAI's Astra ad for personal hygiene brand Goodwipes, was produced in four days using AI tools like ArtCraft, Seedance, and OpenAI's Astra model, cutting projected production costs from $700,000. The campaign, 'Meet Asstra,' gained over 1.5 million views on Reddit. However, Cartagena described the pace as 'unsustainable' and a 'pressure cooker,' with team members working around the clock and even threatening to quit. Goodwipes' SVP of Marketing, Meredith Diehn, emphasized trust in Cartagena and the value of experimenting with AI. The article highlights the growing use of AI in creative production, with 73% of marketers using GenAI for visual content and Gartner forecasting AI software spending to reach $981 billion by 2029.
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