Spotify Takes A Stand, Suspends All Political Ads for 2020

With the 2020 presidential election now only eleven months away, people living in the US are sure to see the amount of advertisements for candidates skyrocket in the coming months. However, one place you won’t be hearing any ads is Spotify. The streaming company announced last week that it would be suspending the sale of political advertising on its platform

“At this point in time, we do not yet have the necessary level of robustness in our process, systems and tools to responsibly validate and review this content,” the company said in a statement to Ad Age. “We will reassess this decision as we continue to evolve our capabilities.”

Spotify’s ad-supported tier boasts 141 million users, none of whom will receive political advertising in the new decade.

According to Ad Age, the new policy covers political organizations such as candidates for office, elected and appointed officials, Super PACs, nonprofits and political parties. It also removes content that advocates for or against political entities and legislative or judicial outcomes. The company will not, however, control political ads that are embedded in for third-party podcasts, though they will still be subject to Spotify’s content policy.