Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Spotify formally prohibits sexually explicit material.
- In spite of that pornographic audio has long been a podcast problem.
- That’s been joined by a growing amount of explicit video, now that Spotify supports video podcasts.
Time was, listening to a podcast meant downloading an audio recording to your iPod. These days, podcasts aren’t just available on pretty much every device under the sun, but they’re also no longer constrained to audio formats, with many popular creators having made the switch to video. And while we have access to more podcasts than ever, that shifting definition has also made it easier for non-podcast content to masquerade as such. That’s just what seems to be going on at Spotify right now, as users complain about pornographic and adult content invading their podcasts.
A report last week from Bloomberg highlights the growing problem, where crudely packaged reuploads from Pornhub appear in Spotify’s top podcast charts alongside mainstream entries (via Android Police). The platform’s embrace of video ultimately opened the doors for this to happen, even as Spotify specifically prohibits sexually explicit material. Beyond video, there’s also been a rise in explicit audio recordings, and while that at least feels slightly more up Spotify’s alley, it’s similarly forbidden and is removed when the service takes notice of it.
How often that actually happens, though, might not be as frequent as it should be, and Bloomberg reports on the lengths some of these creators go to in the interest of staying under the radar — like encouraging low ratings to avoid top-podcast charts.
While that kind of explicit audio isn’t exactly a new arrival to Spotify, it seems that the service’s algorithms may be promoting it quite a bit more in recent months, exposing more and more subscribers to its presence. And it’s likely that ultimately serves as a feedback loop, with increased viewership only serving to drive further recommendations.
Bloomberg questions whether payment incentives for video content may be inadvertently fueling this trend. That’s something that would very much be in Spotify’s control to do something about, but would require striking the right balance with video creators.
Have you bumped into any unexpected porn on Spotify? Is it something you feel is getting worse? Share your observations with us down in the comments.
