ICE adverts removed from Spotify, platform confirms
After much online criticism, Spotify has now confirmed that the adverts that they were running for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been removed from the platform.
Last October, Spotify ran the ICE adverts as part of the Trump administration’s $30 billion investment into hiring at least 10,000 further deportation officers by the end of 2025.
On January 7th, an ICE agent in Minneapolis shot and killed Renee Nicole Good. In light of the recent tragedy, a spokesperson for Spotify confirmed to Variety that the advertising campaign ended with the turn of the year.
The spokesperson revealed, “The advertisements mentioned were part of a U.S. government recruitment campaign that ran across all major media and platforms.”
The adverts were also running across YouTube, Hulu, Max, and Pandora. The first advertisements were heard in April.
In November, it was revealed that Spotify received $74,000 from the Department of Homeland Security to run the assessments.
The adverts offered $50,000 in signing bonuses for the advert-supported free plan of Spotify.
In December, a campaign group targeted the Spotify Wrapped service with their own ‘Spotify Unwrapped’ scheme. A spokesperson for the activist group said, “They’re exploiting artists’ work while quietly recruiting for ICE, a secret police force tearing families apart.”
Spotify originally responded by defending its decision, stating, “This advertisement is part of a broad campaign the US government is running across television, streaming, and online channels. The content does not violate our advertising policies.”
The statement continued, “However, users can mark any ad with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to help manage their ads preferences.”
Additionally, Spotify’s outgoing CEO, Daniel Ek, also came under fire this year after it was revealed that he invests millions in AI military drone technology. Ek has since stepped down from his position at Spotify as CEO and has taken up the new position as executive chair this January.
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