Spotify Users Get a Holiday Surprise: Porn in Search Results

Spotify does not allow sexually explicit content, but it still appears from time to time. The most recent instance was on Dec. 28, when a Redditor searched for Mia Khalifa and got a little more than the singer’s top hits.

The NSFW post from “Milk_Steak_Jabroni” shows a search for “Mia” and Spotify’s suggested results. They include the usual stuff like Mia Khalifa, M.I.A., and Mia Sebastian. Tucked underneath is a video titled “Mia Khalifa Fu¢ks on Casting Couch.”

It no longer appears when you search “Mia” and Spotify tells us: “The content in question has been removed due to violation of our policies.”

The accounts posting this content are usually long strings of alphanumeric nonsense typical of hastily created burner accounts. However, The Verge found several accounts with a history of uploading such content, including NSFW audio and video podcasts. A rep didn’t say how the content got by Spotify’s content moderation.

As commentors on the Reddit thread noted, the account that published the Mia Khalifa clip had dozens of other NSFW videos. It has since been taken down, though users reported seeing it between Dec. 25 and 29.

As The Verge notes, NSFW content on Spotify is not new. In 2022, Vice found various porn images on the music-streaming site. More recently, someone on Reddit said their Discover Weekly playlist was “literally just porn audio.”

It’s concerning for many reasons, but especially because Spotify has younger users. “We have designed Spotify to be appropriate for listeners 13+ years of age, although the minimum age for using the service varies according to local law,” the company says in its parental guide. “You should encourage your child to provide their accurate age during registration to Spotify to ensure they are protected by the age-based safeguards within our service.”

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Hello, my name is Joe and I am a tech blogger. My first real experience with tech came at the tender age of 6 when I started playing Final Fantasy IV (II on the SNES) on the family’s living room console. As a teenager, I cobbled together my first PC build using old parts from several ancient PCs, and really started getting into things in my 20s. I served in the US Army as a broadcast journalist. Afterward, I served as a news writer for XDA-Developers before I spent 11 years as an Editor, and eventually Senior Editor, of Android Authority. I specialize in gaming, mobile tech, and PC hardware, but I enjoy pretty much anything that has electricity running through it.

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