Is it a legit exercise? - I would say yes.
Can it cause problems? - I would say yes, but I would also say that this is not unique to the upright row.
What is it that you want to know if it's serious or fake news?
I'd say that if you can perform them with no pain and they feel OK, then they are just another variation to have in your arsenal. If you feel pain, try taking some weight off, or try a different grip (different widths and spots on the EZ bar felt different for me) and make sure you're doing them in a somewhat controlled manner. If you progress slowly, you should, in general, adapt. I don’t think raising your arms is some tremendously unnatural dangerous movement that you should try to avoid or anything. If none of that works and they are always painful, then they're probably not worth it for you.
I've done them on GPP days for multiple high rep sets (8-20 reps) 1 or 2 reps shy of failure with no issues. I've noticed I get a nasty trap pump from them. If I felt pain I just took some weight off or played with the grip and that usually took care of it for me.