Spotify Removed 57,000 Podcasts Linked to Illegal Drug Sales, Report Says
Sen. Maggie Hassan’s report says the company removed 3,500 accounts and 57,000 episodes, but did not report the drug-related content to law enforcement.
- On Thursday, a report by Senator Maggie Hassan revealed that Spotify removed over 57,000 podcast episodes and 3,500 accounts promoting illegal drugs after her office pressured the company to act.
- Spotify denied the content was targeted at selling drugs, telling investigators the podcasts were a 'spam attack' designed to boost search engine visibility rather than a direct sales attempt.
- While 99% of these podcasts had fewer than 10 streams, investigators found exceptions including two episodes totaling nearly 13,000 streams that directed users to buy the stimulant modafinil using bitcoin.
- Hassan criticized the company for failing to report any removed content to law enforcement, citing one episode that linked to a site later seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
- Similar phony podcasts were discovered on other platforms like Amazon Music and Podchaser, highlighting the need for tech giants to deploy proactive AI detection to prevent illegal content.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Spotify removed thousands of phony drug sales podcasts, investigation finds
Spotify has removed tens of thousands of phony podcasts promoting illegal online pharmacies, a new investigation has found, after reports from CNN and other news outlets exposed the issue last year.
Spotify quietly took down over 57,000 podcasts peddling opioids, a US senator says
Spotify co-CEOs Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström.Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for SpotifySpotify removed 57,000 opioid-related podcasts after Business Insider's probe into the issue.Sen. Maggie Hassan criticized Spotify for failing to report the podcast content to law enforcement.Spotify said the removed podcasts were scams targeting search rankings, not drug sales.Spotify's opioid-promoting podcast problem was a lot bigger than initially though…
abc12/WJRT
Spotify removed thousands of podcasts promoting online prescription drug sales, investigation finds
Spotify has removed tens of thousands of phony podcasts promoting illegal online pharmacies, a new investigation has found, after reports from CNN and other news outlets exposed the issue last year.
Senate Probe Finds Gaps In Spotify’s Fight Against Drug-Related Podcast Spam.
Congressional investigators are accusing Spotify of playing catch-up in its battle against drug-related podcast spam, revealing the platform removed more than 3,500 accounts, 3,000 shows and 57,000 episodes after media reports exposed content promoting opioids and online pharmacies. The report…
False podcasts worked as advertisements for unauthorized online pharmacies selling prescription-free drugs. Spotify reveals that it started removals in May 2025 and maintains permanent monitoring teams
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