Bad Actors Game Spotify Algorithm to Advertise Drugs
June 3, 2025
Pill pushers slipped under Spotify’s guard, such as it is, to promote their wares. Ars Technica reports, “Spotify Caught Hosting Hundreds of Fake Podcasts that Advertise Selling Drugs.” Citing reporting from Business Insider and CNN, writer Ashley Belanger tells us Spotify took down some 200 podcasts that advertised controlled substances. We learn:
“Some of the podcasts may have raised a red flag for a human moderator—with titles like ‘My Adderall Store’ or ‘Xtrapharma.com’ and episodes titled ‘Order Codeine Online Safe Pharmacy Louisiana’ or ‘Order Xanax 2 mg Online Big Deal On Christmas Season,’ CNN reported. But Spotify’s auto-detection did not flag the fake podcasts for removal. Some of them remained up for months, CNN reported, which could create trouble for the music streamer at a time when the US government is cracking down on illegal drug sales online. … BI found that many podcast episodes featured a computerized voice and were under a minute long, while CNN noted some episodes were as short as 10 seconds. Some of them didn’t contain any audio at all, BI reported.”
The CNN piece also observed AI tools now make voice generation very simple and, according to the Tech Transparency Project’s Katie Paul, voice content is much harder to moderate than text. Paul suspects Spotify may not be very motivated to root out violations. After all, like other platforms, it enjoys the protection of Section 230. CNN was unable to verify how many users listened to these podcasts or whether one could actually purchase drugs through their links. But why provide the links if not to attract buyers? Also, we know this:
“The podcasts were promoted in top results for searches for various prescription drugs that some users may have conducted on the platform in search of legitimate health-related podcasts.”
Ah, algorithm gaming at its finest. Spotify says all fake podcasts flagged by reporters were taken down but was vague about measures to prevent similar posts in the future. What a surprise.
Cynthia Murrell, June 3, 2025
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