Spotify Removed 57,000 Opioid-Promoting Podcasts Without Reporting to Law Enforcement, Senator Says
Spotify removed more than 57,000 podcast episodes, 3,000 shows, and 3,500 accounts promoting illegal opioids and other drugs through November 2025, according to a Senate report from Senator Maggie Hassan. The removals came only after Business Insider and CNN exposed the content and Hassan's office spent nearly a year pressing the company for answers. Critics say Spotify's failure to report any of the content to law enforcement — even after one flagged podcast linked to a site later seized by the DEA — represents a serious public safety gap.
A report released by Senator Maggie Hassan, ranking member of the Joint Economic Committee, reveals that Spotify quietly purged over 57,000 podcast episodes advertising illegal online pharmacies selling opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants without a prescription. The scale of the problem was far larger than initially understood: Business Insider first reported roughly 200 such podcasts in May 2025, but the total removals ultimately exceeded 57,000 episodes across more than 3,000 shows. Spotify characterized the content primarily as a search-engine optimization scheme designed to boost visibility for drug-selling websites rather than a direct attempt to sell drugs to its users, and said the vast majority of episodes attracted no meaningful engagement. However, at least a handful did reach audiences — two podcasts together drew around 13,000 streams and provided instructions for purchasing the wakefulness drug modafinil using bitcoin. Critically, Spotify acknowledged it reported none of the removed content to law enforcement, including the DEA, citing a policy of alerting authorities only when there is an imminent threat to life or safety — a threshold it says the podcasts never met. This stance drew sharp criticism from Hassan, who noted that one flagged podcast linked to Opioidstores.com, a domain later seized by federal prosecutors working with the DEA and FDA. Spotify disputed that it was slow to act, saying it began removals as soon as it became aware of the issue in May 2025, and noted that competitors like Snap and Meta have different reporting obligations as social networks.
What's missing
It remains unclear what legal obligations, if any, streaming platforms like Spotify have under federal law to proactively report drug-related content to the DEA or other agencies, and whether Spotify's self-described distinction from social networks holds up legally. The total number of users who may have clicked on drug-selling links embedded in these podcasts is also unknown, as Spotify told Wired it was still investigating whether it tracks such clicks.
How coverage differed
Both Business Insider and Wired lean left and largely align in their reporting of the facts, but Wired provides notably more technical and procedural detail — including specifics on which drugs were advertised, how payments were made, and how Spotify's reporting obligations compare to competitors like Snap and Meta. Business Insider places slightly more emphasis on Spotify's denial and its spokesperson's pushback, while Wired's framing more closely mirrors the Senate report's critical tone toward Spotify's moderation failures.
What different sources said
- WiredLeft
Drug Sites Hijacked Spotify’s Search Ranking Through Fake Podcasts
- Business InsiderLeft
Spotify quietly took down over 57,000 podcasts peddling opioids, a US senator says
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