The music streaming service Spotify is facing an embarrassing situation: pornographic videos are appearing in the search results of some popular artists. A situation which raises questions about the moderation of content on the platform, especially since this is not the first time.
A worrying moderation problem
The affair broke out following a Reddit post showing surprising results to say the least during a search for the rapper MIA. In the “Videos” tab of the application, pornographic content slipped among the legitimate results, with videos linked to the influencer Mia Khalifa. Even more serious, The Verge was able to confirm the existence of this issue by discovering other explicit content after an extensive search.
Multiple accounts are involved in this situation. One of them initially published erotic audio content before switching to explicit videos, while another, identified by a series of alphanumeric characters, has been broadcasting pornographic content under the guise of podcasts since mid-November 2024.
Failing moderation and limited solutions
The heart of the problem lies with Spotify’s moderation system. The platform, which explicitly prohibits sexually explicit content in its conditions of use, does not seem to have an effective filtering system for video uploads. Even more problematic, the reporting process is particularly tedious: users must copy the URL of inappropriate content and go to a dedicated web page, the application having no direct reporting button.
Spotify spokesperson Laura Batey confirmed to The Verge that the reported content was “removed for violating the platform’s policies.” However, this a posteriori reaction raises questions about the company’s ability to prevent this type of incident.
A recurring problem
This is not the first time that Spotify has faced this kind of situation. In 2022, Vice had previously revealed the presence of explicit content on the platform, including erotic audio tracks and suggestive images on the covers of user-created playlists. More recently, users have reported the presence of pornographic content in their “Discoveries of the Week” playlist.
This situation could prove particularly problematic for Apple, which maintains strict standards for applications on its App Store. As a reminder, the Cupertino company had already had disputes with Spotify concerning the rules of the App Store, in particular on questions of in-app payments. This new controversy could potentially lead to stronger moderation requirements for streaming apps.
