FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 11, 2026

Contact: minority_jecpress@jec.senate.gov

  

NEW: Hassan Investigation Drives Spotify to Take Action Against 57,000+ Podcast Episodes that Contain Drug-Related Content

Report Also Finds that Despite Significant Progress, Spotify was Slow to Remove Dangerous Content, Failed to Report to Law Enforcement

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, released today the results of her investigation into scams and drug-related content on Spotify, a major music streaming service. The report details the company’s efforts to identify and take action against more than 57,000 podcast episodes with drug-related content, but also notes that Spotify only took these actions after extensive public reporting and correspondence between Spotify and the Joint Economic Committee - Minority over the course of the investigation. Spotify also did not report to law enforcement any of the content that it removed in the six-month period that the Committee investigated.

The investigation also raises alarm bells for other online platforms; the Committee found that illegal drug and/or scam content is not unique to Spotify and is easily found on other common streaming platforms.

“In the age of AI, all online platforms need to deploy sophisticated efforts to continually identify and take down illegal content,” said Ranking Member Hassan. “Failure to swiftly detect and remove dangerous content and also report it to law enforcement can lead to harrowing consequences – whether that’s a teenager who buys drugs online that could be laced with deadly fentanyl or a senior who falls for a scam that wipes out their retirement savings.”

Key findings from Ranking Member Hassan’s report include:

• Last year through November 2025, Spotify took action – such as banning accounts or removing content – against drug-related content across more than 3,500 podcast accounts, removing more than 3,000 shows and 57,000 individual episodes.
  • In some cases, podcasts included links in episode descriptions or cover art to what appeared to be illegal online pharmacies, which can advertise Adderall, Oxycontin, and other medications for purchase without a prescription. Illegally purchased drugs can often be laced with deadly fentanyl, making this content all the more alarming.
  • During the course of the investigation, the Committee flagged for Spotify new drug-related content on the platform, which it subsequently removed.
  • In 2024, prior to public reporting and Ranking Member Hassan’s investigation, Spotify only took action against 87 podcast accountsfor drug-related content.
• Spotify did not report to law enforcement any of the drug-related content it removed last year through November 2025.
  • This is concerning given that one podcast the Committee identified for Spotify in July 2025 (and which the company apparently later removed) contained a link to "opioidstores.com," which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and other federal agencies later seized in a joint operation.

 

Background:

Ranking Member Hassan launched the investigation into Spotify last year after public reporting about content on Spotify that seemed to direct users to illegal online pharmacies, including sites purportedly selling deadly opioids without a prescription. Ranking Member Hassan issued initial requests to Spotify on May 22, 2025, and then over the next 11 months, Spotify provided written responses and a briefing to Joint Economic Committee - Minority staff. As the Committee report details, the drug-related content likely included links to sites that intended to steal money from people through financial scams and/or to directly sell illegal drugs to people. During the ongoing communication between Spotify and the Committee, the Committee found and flagged for Spotify easily accessible drug-related content it found on the platform, which Spotify subsequently removed.

Ranking Member Hassan’s investigation is a part of her ongoing work to combat the fentanyl crisis as well as protect Americans from financially devastating scams. As part of her scam prevention efforts, Hassan has opened investigations into the roles that AI and voice cloning companies, federal agencies, data brokers, telecommunication companies, satellite internet providers, and online dating platforms have in protecting consumers from criminal fraud.

Read Ranking Member Hassan’s full investigative report here.

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