Spotify
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Spotify |
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|---|---|
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| Industry | Music streaming; digital advertising |
| Country | Sweden |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Parent company | |
| Status | Active |
| Verification |
Verified |
Overview
Spotify is a multinational music and audio streaming platform operating an ad-supported free tier and paid subscription services. In 2025, multiple news outlets and advocacy organizations reported that Spotify carried paid recruitment advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of a broader DHS recruitment campaign.[1]
Boycott
Spotify is listed for boycott due to its role in distributing ICE recruitment advertisements on its platform and the resulting organized backlash from users and immigrant-rights advocates. Reports in 2025 documented ICE recruitment audio and display ads appearing on Spotify’s free, ad-supported service, leading to calls for user boycotts and subscription cancellations.[2]
Advocacy reporting and media coverage noted that the ads were part of a multi-million-dollar DHS digital recruitment campaign spanning streaming platforms and social media, with Spotify identified as one of the primary audio distribution channels.[3]
Following public criticism, Spotify confirmed that the ads were paid political/government recruitment placements served through its advertising systems, while maintaining that advertisers meeting platform policy requirements are permitted to run ads. Activists and civil-society groups nonetheless argued that distributing ICE recruitment messaging constitutes material support for immigration enforcement agencies accused of human rights abuses, and therefore warrants boycott.[1]
Background
ICE relies on public-facing recruitment campaigns to staff enforcement and investigative operations. These campaigns increasingly use commercial streaming and digital advertising platforms to reach younger audiences. Because such advertising directly supports ICE staffing and operational capacity, ICE List documents platforms that host or distribute ICE recruitment advertising when public documentation and boycott calls exist.[1]