Spotify bans political advertisements ahead of 2020 US election

“At this point in time, we do not yet have the necessary level of robustness in our process, systems and tools to responsibly validate and review this content,” Spotify said in a statement.

By ZACHARY KEYSER
A headset is seen in front of a screen projection of Spotify logo, in this picture illustration (photo credit: REUTERS)
A headset is seen in front of a screen projection of Spotify logo, in this picture illustration
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Digital music service provider Spotify will no longer be displaying political advertisements as of early 2020, the company told Ad Age in a statement Friday.
Spotify's ad-supported streaming entertainment hosts nearly 141 million users, whom have access to most of Spotify's original content including exclusive podcasts - where now all United States political advertising will be suspended until further notice, at least for the presidential campaign election year or until Spotify is able to gather a team to responsibly monitor these advertisements.
“At this point in time, we do not yet have the necessary level of robustness in our process, systems and tools to responsibly validate and review this content,” the company said in their statement. “We will reassess this decision as we continue to evolve our capabilities.”
The bulk of Spotify's advertising revenue comes from the entertainment industry, displaying advertisements, trailers and teasers for movies and television series - not much is gained for Spotify within the political arena, according to Ad Age.
In the past, the streaming giant hosted advertisements for big-name political candidates and organizations like presidential hopeful Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and the Republican National Committee - allowing them to push their respective views.
However, Spotify now joins the likes of other social media and tech companies such as Twitter and Google, who have also removed political advertising ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
"We've made the decision to stop all political advertising on Twitter globally," said CEO Jack Dorsey in a statement. "We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought."
In line with Spotify's revenue model, analysts do not expect the ban on Twitter, which took effect on November 22, to significantly reduce its business.
Social media companies, including Twitter rival Facebook Inc., face growing pressure to stop carrying ads that spread false information which could steer elections.
Facebook has pledged to make efforts to deal with misinformation after Russian propaganda on the platform was seen to affect the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which was won by now-US President Donald Trump.
But Facebook made a decision to not fact-check ads run by politicians, drawing ire from Democratic candidates running in the 2020 presidential election such as former vice president Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Google's approach is a bit more nuanced, as they will stop giving advertisers the ability to target election ads using data such as public voter records and general political affiliations, the company said in a blog post on Wednesday.
Google said it would start limiting audience targeting for election ads to age, gender and general location at a postal code level.
Previously, verified political advertisers could also target ads using political affiliations such as left-leaning, right-leaning, or independent.
Spotify themselves in further detail, have banned the general purchase of advertisements by political candidates, organizations and supporters across their United States streaming services ahead of the 2020 presidential election. However, they will still allow political guests and third party advertisements to run within their original podcasts, but they will be subjected to Spotify's review and must follow their content policy procedures.
Reuters contributed to this report.


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