The podcasts of far-right essayist Alain Soral have been removed from the Spotify streaming platform for “non-compliance with its content policy”, Spotify France said on Wednesday.
“Spotify has decided to remove the podcasts and has blocked the ERFM account (the online radio station of Equality and Reconciliation, political group co-founded by Alain Soral, editor’s note) from its platform due to non-compliance with its content policy”, Spotify France told AFP, confirming information from the Fact & Furious site.
The platform did not specify the exact reasons for this exclusion. In its moderation policy, Spotify says in particular to prohibit content “inciting violence or hatred”, or those which promote “dangerous, false or misleading medical information”.
Globally, Spotify, which is a Swedish company, has in recent days come under heavy criticism over its moderation policy.
Folk rock legend Neil Young has thus taken the lead in a boycott movement, accusing the streaming giant of hosting the podcast of the very popular but controversial American host Joe Rogan. The latter is accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and making racist remarks.
Neil Young was followed by Canadian folk singer Joni Mitchell, leading to a movement to unsubscribe from Spotify on social networks. And British Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan Markle – who have signed an agreement estimated at $25 million with the platform – have expressed “their concerns” with the Swedish giant.
In an attempt to put out the fire, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has announced the introduction, in all his podcasts discussing COVID-19, of links that will guide users to factual and scientifically based information.
In France, Alain Soral has already been sentenced twenty times, largely for offenses of incitement to hatred, defamation and anti-Semitic insult.
At the beginning of February, the conspiracy specialist Tristan Mendès-France had challenged, on Twitter, Spotify and other podcast platforms, accusing them of hosting Mr. Soral’s media.
On its site, Equality and Reconciliation called his ousting from Spotify “expeditious Zionist justice”, denouncing “censorship”.