Music streaming giant Spotify has landed in hot water as users report finding explicit sexual content in search results, sparking debates over the platform’s content moderation policies. The controversy surfaced when a Reddit user shared a screenshot revealing pornographic material listed among suggested results for the rapper M.I.A.

Spotify quickly removed the content, citing a violation of its policies. “Such content has been removed due to violation of its policies,” a Spotify spokesperson told The Verge. The platform prohibits any form of pornography or explicit imagery, as outlined in its terms of use, which forbid “pornography or visual depictions of genitalia or nudity presented for the purpose of sexual gratification,” IANS reported.

Despite Spotify’s explicit content filter, which can be activated in user profiles, reports suggest these explicit search results bypass the setting. Users on Reddit have also flagged the presence of erotic audio tracks infiltrating Discovery Weekly playlists, highlighting a gap in Spotify’s content moderation system.

This isn’t the first time Spotify has faced such issues. A 2022 investigation by Vice uncovered instances where individuals attempted to upload hardcore sexual images on the platform. The latest incident raises questions about Spotify’s ability to enforce its policies at scale, especially given its vast library of over 100 million tracks, 6 million podcasts, and 350,000 audiobooks.

The platform, which launched in 2008, now serves a global audience of over 640 million monthly active users (MAUs) across 180 markets, including 252 million premium subscribers. Its rapid growth, with an 11 percent year-on-year increase in MAUs reported in Q3 2024, underscores its dominance in the audio streaming space. However, with such scale comes the challenge of maintaining strict content governance.

Incidents like these can impact user trust, particularly for Spotify’s younger demographic and families relying on the platform’s filters to block explicit content. For a platform that prides itself on curating personalized and safe experiences, addressing these gaps will be crucial to maintaining its reputation and user loyalty.

Spotify has yet to announce any new measures to enhance its content moderation mechanisms, but this controversy may prompt the platform to reevaluate its policies and implement more stringent controls to prevent similar incidents in the future.