For the past year, **Spotify** has been systematically purging tens of thousands of podcasts that promoted illegal online pharmacies. A recent report, spearheaded by Senator **Maggie Hassan**, the ranking member of the Joint Economic Committee, criticizes the streaming giant for its delayed action, noting that the cleanup only began after media exposure and persistent inquiries from her office. Crucially, the report highlights that none of the removed content was ever reported to law enforcement agencies. **Spotify** reportedly took down over 57,000 podcast episodes and 3,000 shows, while also taking enforcement action against 3,500 accounts. These accounts were all pushing links to illicit online pharmacies, advertising prescription-only opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants. Despite the significant volume of removals, the report frames this as a substantial moderation failure. The report draws a stark comparison: **Spotify** acted against more than 3,500 accounts for drug-related content in 2025 (sic) compared to fewer than 100 the previous year. The committee views this jump as evidence that the company only moved after coming under scrutiny. **Spotify** offered a different explanation, stating that its older counts were incomplete due to a change in how it tracks removals. While most of the offending podcasts had minimal reach, a handful did find an audience. Two podcasts, which together garnered approximately 13,000 streams, instructed listeners on purchasing modafinil, a wakefulness drug, using **Bitcoin**. Another, with 125 plays, linked to sites posing as pharmacy marketplaces for cancer and HIV medications. These instances, though exceptions, demonstrated functional methods for payment and ordering. Senator Hassan emphasized the severity of the situation, stating that counterfeit pills bought online are frequently laced with fentanyl, and teenagers are particularly vulnerable. "In the age of AI, all online platforms need to deploy sophisticated efforts to continually identify and take down illegal content," Senator Hassan told WIRED. "Failure to swiftly detect and remove dangerous content and also report it to law enforcement can lead to harrowing consequences—whether that’s a teenager who buys drugs online that could be laced with deadly fentanyl or a senior who falls for a scam that wipes out their retirement savings." When questioned about **Spotify**'s approach to AI-generated podcasts, spokesperson **Laura Batey** stated that the company "has a long history of working with law enforcement when content violates the law." However, she did not confirm whether **Spotify** proactively refers cases to the **Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)** or the frequency of such referrals. Batey also did not address whether **Spotify** tracks clicks on these illicit links. **Spotify** informed the committee that its policy is to alert authorities only when it identifies a credible threat of serious harm, such as an imminent risk to life or safety. The company classified the podcasts as a search-optimization scheme rather than evidence of actual drug sales, thus not meeting its reporting threshold. In contrast to **Spotify**, competitors like **Snap** reportedly make regular proactive referrals to the **DEA**, and **Meta** states it cooperates with law enforcement to combat drug sales. **Spotify**'s position, as outlined in the report, is that its obligations as a licensed-content streaming service differ from those of a social network. One of the removed podcasts, flagged by the committee in July 2025 (sic), linked to a site called **Opioidstores.com**. This domain was later seized by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, working with the **DEA**, **FDA**, and other agencies. While **Spotify** removed the podcast, it did not, by its own account, report the activity. **Spotify** told the committee that 94 percent of the removed episodes had zero plays, and 99 percent had fewer than 10. The company argued that reaching **Spotify**'s audience was not the primary goal; instead, the objective was to embed links in episode descriptions and cover art to exploit **Spotify**'s search engine standing and boost illicit pharmacy and scam sites in **Google**'s rankings. However, play counts only measure audio listens, and **Spotify** acknowledges the audio was not the main point. The operators sought link clicks, which **Spotify** does not track for ordinary podcasts, only for paid advertisements. This means **Spotify** can show minimal audio engagement but cannot quantify how many users followed links to illicit sites. The problem extends beyond **Spotify**. Committee staff found identical fake drug series on **iHeart**, **Amazon Music**, and **Podchaser**, many with similar 2021 upload dates. This highlights the federated nature of podcasting, where a single source can distribute content across multiple platforms. Removing content from one app does not affect the original source or its copies elsewhere. **Spotify** claims to have several systems in place to detect such content, including a list of drug names and slang, software to identify banned users creating new accounts, and an AI filter for new and edited episodes that flags questionable content for human review. The company also employs an outside firm, **LegitScript**, to review podcasts quarterly. Content found in violation is immediately removed from search results. Much of this illicit content is now AI-generated. The report points to services marketing AI podcasting studios, offering synthetic hosts, cloned voices, and direct publishing to **Spotify**. In one instance, an AI-generated podcast posing as a psychiatrist discussed benzodiazepines like midazolam and estazolam, drugs the **DEA** warns are misused by teenagers. While **Spotify** has developed AI defenses, these have primarily focused on music rather than podcasts. In September 2025 (sic), **Spotify** announced new AI protections and the removal of 75 million spam tracks over the preceding year. However, these measures were specific to music, and **Spotify** reportedly has no policy against AI-generated podcasts. A **Spotify** representative also told committee staff that the company is not well-positioned to identify AI-made content. In contrast, **iHeartMedia** pledged in November that its published podcasts are "guaranteed human." The issue is not confined to **Spotify** or podcast platforms. The company informed the committee that the same search-manipulation spam has proliferated across the internet, even appearing on local, state, and federal government websites. As AI reduces content production costs, this illicit material continues to surface wherever a trusted domain can be leveraged.