Joint Economic Committee Ranking Member Hassan: “Spotify has a responsibility to significantly ramp up its efforts to stop criminals”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, is pressing Spotify to crack down on fake podcasts on its platforms that are advertising websites illegally selling drugs. Recent reports revealed that Spotify hosts several fake podcasts that are short, sometimes just seconds-long, advertisements for illegal websites that claim to sell drugs online. Counterfeit drugs sold on these kinds of marketplaces are often laced with fentanyl – without the purchaser’s knowledge – causing deadly overdoses, including for teens. 

“Far too many parents have experienced the unimaginable pain of losing their child to an accidental overdose. These tragedies can often occur when a teen buys online a counterfeit pill – like Xanax or Adderall – that is actually laced with fentanyl, leading to devastating consequences,” said Senator Hassan. “Spotify has a responsibility to significantly ramp up its efforts to stop criminals from using the platform to facilitate deadly drug sales to anyone, especially teens.” 

According to recent news reports, fake podcasts on the Spotify platform may have directed users to illegal online pharmacies. CNN identified dozens of fake podcasts advertising Adderall, Oxycontin, and other drugs, and a separate report from Business Insider described hundreds more. 

Senator Hassan is pushing for answers from the CEO of Spotify about the platform’s content moderation practices and what the company is doing to crack down on these fake podcasts, in particular because of the risk that illicit, counterfeit drugs pose to young people. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, an average of 22 American adolescents died of drug overdoses every week in 2022, and the widespread availability of counterfeit pills online played a key role in this trend. 

Click here to read Senator Hassan’s letter to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, or see below:  

Dear Mr. Ek: 

               Online drug traffickers have become increasingly adept at using digital platforms to sell fentanyl and other dangerous drugs, putting all Americans — and especially young people — at risk. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, an average of 22 American adolescents died of drug overdoses every week in 2022, and the widespread availability of counterfeit pills online played a key role in this trend.  Laboratory testing by the Drug Enforcement Administration indicates that seven out of 10 counterfeit pills that traffickers produce to mimic legitimate prescription medication actually contain a potentially fatal dose of fentanyl.  Addressing these threats requires an all-hands-on-deck approach, and based on recent reports, Spotify has not exercised the level of diligence needed. I urge you to take action to prevent fake podcasts that facilitate the illicit sale of drugs — including those that could contain fentanyl — from appearing on your platform. 

               According to recent news articles, fake podcasts on the Spotify platform may have directed users to illegal online pharmacies.  CNN identified dozens of fake podcasts advertising Adderall, Oxycontin, and other drugs, and a separate report from Business Insider described hundreds more — findings that “raise questions about Spotify’s moderation capabilities as AI makes it easier than ever to churn out fake content.”  In some cases, these “ podcasts” amount to a few seconds of audio featuring a computerized voice describing options for receiving medication without a prescription.  In other cases, episode descriptions and cover art on Spotify contain links to pharmacy websites and instructions for purchasing drugs.  In one example, a voice in a seven-second “podcast” urged listeners to “[b]uy tramadol [an opioid pain medication] online in just one click…without a prescription with legal delivery in the USA.”  Spotify users can find this content through a simple search that also returns legitimate podcasts on topics such as ADHD or addiction. The fake podcasts appear on Spotify despite platform rules prohibiting illegal and spam content, including restrictions on “[c]ontent that illicitly promotes the sale of regulated or illegal goods.”  

               The scale of the fentanyl crisis requires cooperation among law enforcement, online platforms, and international partners to protect our communities. I have had heart-wrenching conversations with people across my state of New Hampshire who have experienced the unimaginable pain of losing a loved one to a drug overdose. In addition to the human toll, the fentanyl crisis has also imposed significant economic consequences. According to a March 2025 report from the White House, for example, illicit opioids cost Americans an estimated $2.7 trillion in 2023 alone, including through lost quality of life, health care costs, reduced labor productivity, and crime-related expenses. 

               To aid the Joint Economic Committee - Minority in understanding the scope of illegal drug-related activity on the Spotify platform and the related content moderation activities that the company has undertaken, please provide responses to the following document and information requests:  

1. What moderation tools, policies, or procedures has Spotify employed to combat drug-related content on its platform, and what new approaches will the company adopt, if any, given recent reporting?
2. Spotify has stated that it has deployed technology from Kinzen — a company with expertise in analyzing “harmful content and hate speech in multiple languages” — to identify emerging threats on the platform.  How has it used this or other similar technology to address illegal drug-related activity? 
3. How many podcasts, episode descriptions, or other content has Spotify removed to date due to drug-related material that violates Spotify’s own rules? Please break down this total by the type of content that the company has removed and the nature of the rule violation. 
4. How many users to date have interacted with content Spotify has removed due to drug-related material? Please break down this total by the type of content, the nature of the interaction, and the age of the user. 
5. What revenue, if any, has Spotify received to date related to content that the company has removed due to drug-related material?
6. What guidance has Spotify received concerning the issues described above from its Safety Advisory Council, which advises the company “in key areas like policy and safety-feature development”?  Please provide any documents that the Safety Advisory Council has generated concerning the presence, detection, or removal of drug-related content on the Spotify platform.
7. What steps, if any, does Spotify take to cooperate and work with law enforcement when it discovers illegal activity, especially illegal drug-related activity, on its platform?

Please provide your responses as soon as possible but in no event later than June 12, 2025. 

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