Spotify to suspend political ads ahead of 2020 election
“We will reassess this decision as we continue to evolve our capabilities,” said a spokesperson for the streaming company.
Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, speaks to reporters at a news conference on May 20, 2015 in New York
DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images
All political adverts will be suspended on Spotify, Variety reports.
The temporary measure is reportedly being put in place ahead of the 2020 U.S. election as the company seeks improved systems for vetting content shared on the platform by political parties. Adverts which appear in content such as podcasts will not be affected by the move.
In a statement to Variety, Spotify said, “We do not yet have the necessary level of robustness in our processes, systems and tools to responsibly validate and review this content. We will reassess this decision as we continue to evolve our capabilities.”
Twitter and Google have both moved to ban political ads amid a climate in which what is being shared and published online comes under increased attention. Facebook, however, opted to keep political advertising exempt from its accuracy standards in September. YouTube operates a similar policy.