Spotify has removed 19k hate-content playlists so far in 2022

Yesterday we reported on criticism of Spotify by anti-hate organisation ADL, after it found a number of white-supremacist artists and playlists accessible on the service.

Spotify’s response yesterday included some new stats on its efforts to remove this and other extremist music from its platform. The streaming service told Billboard that in 2022 alone it has removed 19k playlists, more than 12k podcast episodes, 160 music tracks and nearly 20 albums that violated its hate-content policies.

“We leverage a variety of algorithmic and human detection measures to ensure that all of the content on our platform is in keeping with our Platform Rules,” said its spokesperson.

The company has also pointed to its Spotify Safety Advisory Council, which it launched in June as a body to help Spotify decide what its policies should be, and what new features it should develop to continue tackling hate content.