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Spotify Technology S.A. has been in the headlines recently following claims of users finding sexually explicit material in the search engine, thus raising questions about moderation. On the weekend, one user from Reddit shared a screenshot showing a pornographic video appearing in searching for British rapper M.I.A.
Various accounts, including an account specializing in erotically oriented audio, have been sharing explicit videos and content classified as podcasts since mid-November. diyor. A similar violation was found in another account with a random alphanumeric name. When contacted, a spokesperson for the music streaming app clarified that any content violating Spotify’s policy was eradicated as per the company’s guidelines that do not allow any form of sexually suggestive themes, nudity for sexually provocative purposes included.
This is not the first time such an incident has happened. In recent years, some controversies about OS issues have occurred, such as the misuse of freedom and extremism getting through Spotify moderation. In May 2022, Vice exposed the fact that hardcore sexual material gets uploaded to the platform, leading to questions about the policies and procedures in action at Spotify.
However, due to restrictions, some users have commented that they found lewd content even when they preferred the explicit content filter on Discovery Weekly. About a month later, these incidents have brought new questions for Spotify concerning its capacity to thoroughly monitor its extensive catalog, comprising over 100 million tracks, six million podcast episodes, and 350,000 audiobooks.
To address such concerns, Spotify must have strong moderation measures that can help it block out any explicit content, thus protecting users across all 180 global markets.
Still, Spotify remains a market leader in the audio streaming industry. It remains the leading site with more than 640 million monthly active users and 252 million premium subscriptions as of the Q3 of 2024.
According to Spotify’s latest financial statement, revenues of $3.99 billion increased year over year from $3.65 billion during the same period, although in 2023. However, the figure was lower than the estimate provided by analysts, who predicted $4.02 billion.
Such controversy might lead to concerns about its performance regarding standards during expansion and increased content production. The audience and consumers will examine how Spotify will continue to manage these moderation issues.
