Spotify faces renewed checks after the investigation has revealed dozens of false podcasts masking, as shown in health or lifestyle, but in fact directs users to the illegal online pharmacy selling prescription drugs.
The CNN investigation report stated that episodes often contain AI-generated voices and direct listeners to dubious online pharmacies selling powerful drugs-annius.
Despite the previous measures taken by the platform to eliminate such content, the news outlet said they could find several new examples – some of them remained live months.
According to the Investigation Reports, the podcasts, which are masked as legitimate health, have ordered users to dubious online pharmacies – many of whom claimed to sell highly addictive drugs without a prescription, violation of US law.
The news outlet announced that the search for “Adderall” on Spotify has appeared podcasts called “My Aderall Store” and others with similarly explicit names. This site often contained links to websites that allegedly offered Aderall, Vicodin, Methadone, Ambien and others – often without a prescription.
In news, after providing Spotify List 26 podcasts who still live on the platform from Thursday afternoon, the company acted quickly to remove them. And despite the Spotify spokesperson, he acknowledged that they had violated its rules that prohibited illegal and spam content, the intelligence publication said that it has noted new, similar content continued to appear on the platform until the next morning.
The report emphasizes the growing concerns of parents and guard dogs who urge technological platforms to intervene counterfeit or unlawful drug sales focused on young people. This problem has become particularly urgent in light of death from overdose by adolescents associated with pills purchased online.
The findings also raise wider questions about the possibility of moderating the content of Spotify, especially because generative AI tools make it easier to produce and record false or harmful content.
Computer voices pitch illegal drugs
In one example emphasized by news, he published an eight episode 29 of November 2024. Each clip lasted less than 10 seconds and included robotic voice advertising drugs such as Xanax, Percocet, Oxycontin and Hydrocodes. Ads claimed that drugs can be purchased with “Delivery of approved FDA without a regulation”.
Another show called “Order Xanax 2 Mg Online Big Deal On Christmas Season”, published on December 2, 26-second episode “Are you a healthy person? Are you the best episode of the health advisor for the first time on Spotify,” Voice AI said before calling Xanax. The description of the episode was directly associated with the expected online pharmacy, which promises “government approved medicine on the Prague customer’s threshold,” the news socket said.
Repeat the offender and recycled pharmacy links
The third fake podcast “John Elizabeth” contained dozens of episodes and prominently represented a work of art with a miniature promoting the pharmacy website. The same website was previously connected in another show called “My Aderall Store”, indicating the formula of the reuse of promotional material on different pages of podcasts.
Other fake programs have appeared in the search for terms such as “Vyvansse”, “Codeine” and “Percocet”. One show entitled “How Pecocet Dosage taken RX” contained an episode called “Order Kodeine Online Safe Louisiana” – which included the coupon code and another link to the illegal online dealer.
No user reviews, unclear reach
According to CNN, none of the fake podcasts selling the drug he perceived, had users or reviews, making it difficult to determine how many users could listen or communicate with the content. Yet their presence in search results for common drug names suggests that unsuspecting users have easily appeared.
Using free Spotify Tools
Spotify provides free tools to publish and monetize podcasts, but its instructions for the creators expressly state that his mission “democratize sound” means “nothing on our platform”. These instructions prohibit content that is hateful, sexually explicit, illegal or spam – including the material created “for… to promote a product or service”.
Separately the rules of the Spotify platform prohibit any “content that illegally supports the sale of regulated or illegal goods”, including prescription drugs without proper permission.
Also read | Donald Trump Annces 59% Cuts in US Prescription Drugs (Tagstotranslate) Spotify (T) Fake Podcasts (T) Illicit Online Pharmaing (T) Illegal Online Pharmaces (T) Ai-Generated Voices (T) Prescription Drug Sales Challenges
