Spotify Podcasts Getting Congressional Scrutiny

Spotify is facing congressional scrutiny following reports that its platform hosted numerous fake podcasts promoting illegal online pharmacies selling prescription drugs like opioids (e.g., Oxycodone, Tramadol) and other medications (e.g., Adderall, Xanax) without prescriptions, violating U.S. federal law and Spotify’s own policies. These issues were brought to light by investigations from CNN and Business Insider, prompting action from Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH).

Investigations by CNN and Business Insider revealed over 200 fake podcasts on Spotify, some with titles like “My Adderall Store” and “Xtrapharma.com,” advertising drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin, and Ambien. These podcasts often used AI-generated or robotic voices, were under a minute long (some as short as 7-10 seconds), and directed users to websites posing as legitimate pharmacies, often promising “FDA-approved delivery” without prescriptions.

Many of these podcasts appeared in top search results for drug names, alongside legitimate health and recovery podcasts, raising concerns about their accessibility, especially to young users.

U.S. law prohibits selling controlled substances online without a valid prescription, and such unregulated sales pose public health risks, including counterfeit or fentanyl-laced drugs linked to overdoses, particularly among teens.

Spotify removed over 200 of these podcasts after they were flagged by media outlets and an X user who tagged CEO Daniel Ek. The company stated that the content violated its platform rules, which prohibit promoting illegal or regulated goods like drugs.

Despite removals, new fake podcasts continued to appear, highlighting gaps in Spotify’s content moderation. A spokesperson said, “We are constantly working to detect and remove violating content across our service.”

Spotify emphasized that it earned no revenue from these podcasts and noted that similar issues exist on other platforms.