Spotify Technology will stop selling U.S. political advertising in early 2020, following Twitter Inc.’s lead in steering clear of a contentious election cycle.
The move will apply to Spotify’s ad-supported service, as well as its podcasts, the company said on Friday. The music-streaming service never sold political ads in other countries, so the change only affects the U.S.
Spotify is describing the move as a “pause” and may resume the ads in the future.
“At this point in time, we do not yet have the necessary level of robustness in our processes, systems and tools to responsibly validate and review this content,” the Stockholm-based company said in a statement. “We will reassess this decision as we continue to evolve our capabilities.”
Tech companies have struggled with how to handle campaign commercials, especially as the U.S. presidential election nears.
