Spotify to remove playlist titles about Jews and the Holocaust

A spokesperson for Spotify said this Thursday in a statement to the New York Post that the content in question violates company policy.

Palestinian musician Firas Harb uses Spotify app on his mobil phone in Beit Sahour, in the West Bank November 20, 2018 (photo credit: REUTERS/MUSSA QAWASMA)
Palestinian musician Firas Harb uses Spotify app on his mobil phone in Beit Sahour, in the West Bank November 20, 2018
(photo credit: REUTERS/MUSSA QAWASMA)

(JTA) — The music streaming service Spotify said it would remove playlist titles deemed to contain anti-Semitic hate speech.

A spokesperson for Spotify said this Thursday in a statement to the New York Post that the content in question violates company policy.

The statement followed a report by The Times of Israel that found that users interested in circumventing Spotify’s ban on hateful lyrics introduce them in the titles of playlists they generate.

One such playlist was titled “Gas the Jews music.” Another was named “The Holocaust was exaggerated game of hide and seek.”

Several playlists contained titles that justified Hitler’s actions, such as “Hitler did nothing wrong,” the report said.

After the Times of Israel story was published, Spotify vowed to remove the content flagged in the article, The Post reported.

“The user-generated content in question violates our policy and is in the process of being removed. Spotify prohibits any user content that is offensive, abusive, defamatory, pornographic, threatening, or obscene,” a spokesperson said.