Spotify Faces Boycott Over ICE/DHS Recruitment Ads

Indivisible Project and organizers of the No Kings protests launched a 'Don't Stream Fascism: Cancel Spotify' campaign urging listeners, artists and protesters to cancel subscriptions, rally outside Spotify offices, and pressure the company to stop running ICE/DHS recruitment ads and change its advertising policy. They say the ads — which promise signing bonuses and other incentives — target vulnerable communities, normalize intimidation and are part of a broader DHS recruitment push across television, streaming and social platforms. Spotify says the ads comply with its policies, are part of a government-wide campaign, and recommends users use the thumbs-down feature to limit repeats. Critics say the ads use dehumanizing language, are served through third-party ad networks that make them hard to preemptively block, and that some outlets (for example, HuffPost) remove such spots when identified. The controversy has compounded broader artist and public backlash over Spotify’s business practices and reported leadership ties to defense and AI interests, and several musicians have pulled catalogs; Indivisible says it will sustain boycotts until Spotify stops running the ads.