Observed Signal · Jan 10, 2020 · Policy Update · Source: OnlineMarketing.de · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Spotify cracks down on Nazi content in playlists
Spotify is actively removing antisemitic and Nazi content found in user-created playlists, citing violations of its content guidelines. The move follows reports that playlists contained praise of Nazism and calls for violence, with examples including titles such as The Holocaust was an exaggerated game of hide and seek, Hitler did nothing wrong, and Gas the Jews music. Times of Israel highlighted the publicly searchable nature of these playlists. The platform noted more than 110 public profiles named Adolf Hitler were registered. Spotify said it removes content listed by Germany’s Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien (Federal Index for Media Harmful to Minors) or that has been reported, and will review other complaints on a case-by-case basis. The company emphasized that such content violates its policies and is being removed. Calls from Jewish organizations and Auschwitz memorial urged stronger action, while Spotify’s user base stood at 248 million MAU across 79 markets in Q3 2019.
Substantive content about platform content-moderation actions affecting safety and policy enforcement
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Spotify is removing Nazi/content that violates its guidelines from user-generated playlists.
- Times of Israel reported playlists with Nazist content and titles such as 'The Holocaust was an exaggerated game of hide and seek', 'Hitler did nothing wrong', and 'Gas the Jews music'.
- Over 110 public profiles named 'Adolf Hitler' were registered on Spotify.
- Spotify removes content listed by the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien or that has been reported, and reviews other complaints case-by-case.
- Spotify had 248 million monthly active users in Q3 2019 across 79 markets.
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