Spotify Suspends Political Ads for 2020 Election

(TORU YAMANAKA/AFP via Getty Images)

Your move, Facebook.

Spotify will pull political ads for the 2020 presidential election at the top of the year.

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In a statement to Variety, a rep from the leading music and podcast streamer cited an inability to adequately "validate and review" (read: fact-check,) the content in those spots, pledging to halt campaign ads across their "ad-supported tier," as well as Spotify-exclusive content and podcasts. However, the policy won't apply to third-party content or shows submitted to Spotify for distribution on other podcast platforms like Anchor or Podcaster.

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The announcement arrives amidst widespread criticism of publishers and platforms who've been unable (Twitter) or unwilling (Facebook) to vet the information of ad campaigns run by election season hopefuls. As of November 22nd, Twitter has banned political advertising outright. But Facebook, not-so-silently ensuring the eradication of objective truths, not only refused to pull political ads, but exempted them from sanctions on content pushing false claims.