Spotify and other streaming services are running ICE recruitment ads. People are cancelling subscriptions. Here are excerpts from a few articles on this subject -
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“Spotify is exploiting the work of artists to line their pockets while recruiting for ICE – a secret police force that is terrorizing American communities. Spotify is actively amplifying the Trump regime’s drive to authoritarianism.” - Ezra Levin, Indivisible’s co-founder and co-executive director
Indivisible is organizing its members to:
Cancel Spotify Premium subscriptions, today, until Spotify removes all ICE recruitment ads from its platform.
Engage in peaceful protest outside Spotify offices, studios, and major events to demand accountability.
Urge artists, podcasters, and labels to publicly denounce the ads and pressure Spotify leadership to stop profiting from Trump’s deportation machine.
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While you are jamming out to music or watching your favorite show, you might suddenly hear a dystopian voice during an ad break: Are you ready to “join the mission to protect America” from undocumented immigrants who are “predators” and “dangerous illegals”?
In response to questions, Spotify told HuffPost in a statement, “This ad is part of a wider campaign from the U.S. government running across multiple platforms, including television, streaming, and online channels. Users can provide feedback on ads — such as liking or disliking them — to help manage their ad experience.” The company declined to answer questions about how many people have canceled their subscriptions over this ad.
⚠️ Beyond Spotify, HBO Max, TBS, Pandora, Peacock and Hulu are some of the popular streaming services that have run ICE ads, according to users listening to these ads or confirmed by the companies themselves.
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Ice Ads are All Over Your Favorite Streaming Services - Rolling Stone
The new advertising push, which has faced intense online backlash, has followed the Trump administration’s investment of $30 billion to hire at least 10,000 more deportation officers by the end of the year, according to The Associated Press. “You took an oath to protect and serve, to keep your family, your city, safe,” the narrator says in some advertisements targeting local police officers. “But in sanctuary cities, you’re ordered to stand down while dangerous illegals walk free.”
“This is not a random glitch. It is the result of ad targeting that equates music preference with immigration status,” read the user’s note. “Your platform appears to be allowing (or enabling) ads that racially and culturally profile users based on the language of the music they enjoy.”
In August, DHS confirmed to The Independent that it would be running advertisements on YouTube, Max, Amazon Prime Video, X, LinkedIn, and other internet platforms.
Earlier this month, the AP reported that ad-spends by DHS had topped $6.5 million, and that spots had been run in several major cities, including Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C, and Miami, aimed at recruiting local officers frustrated with their cities’ immigration enforcement policies.
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Who to Contact
Your opinion only matters if you let someone know! The more people who speak up, the more meaningful our opinions will be.
Spotify
45 W. 18th Street
New York, New York 10011
phone 646-837-5380
Time Warner Inc. – Home Box Office Inc. (HBO)
1100 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 512-1000
Turner Broadcasting System, INC
1050 Techwood Dr Nw
Atlanta, GA, 30318-5604
Phone: (404) 827-1700
Pandora
2100 Franklin St
Suite 700
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (510) 451-4100
Peacock
30 Rockefeller Plaza, Floor 19
New York City, New York, 10112
Phone: (212) 664-2711
Hulu
2500 Broadway
Santa Monica, California 90404
Phone: 310-571-4700
MORE CONTACTS
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