A fresh piracy claim has put Spotify under scrutiny after a hacker group alleged that it scraped a massive portion of the streaming platform’s music catalog. The claim, made by a piracy activist collective called Anna’s Archives, has sparked concerns across the music industry around copyright protection, data misuse, and potential artificial intelligence (AI) training risks.
What is the piracy claim about?
Anna’s Archives claims it has collected 86 million music files from Spotify, which it says represents nearly 99.6% of total Spotify listens. Spotify currently hosts over 100 million tracks and serves more than 700 million users globally.
According to the group, the data was scraped over time using large-scale automated methods. The total dataset is claimed to be around 300 terabytes, comprising audio files along with extensive metadata, such as track titles, artist information, release details, and identifiers.
The group shared these claims via a blog post and stated that the data has not yet been fully released publicly.
Hackers cite ‘preservation’ as motive
Anna’s Archives maintains that its goal is music preservation, not commercial gain. The group argues that streaming platforms control access to music and can remove or alter content over time, while an open archive could ensure long-term availability.
The group has previously focused on archiving books and academic research and claims this project aligns with its broader mission. However, experts note that scraping and storing copyrighted content without permission remains illegal, regardless of intent.
Is Spotify user data affected?
Spotify has categorically stated that no user data has been compromised. According to the company, the activity involved unlawful scraping of music content and metadata, not personal or account-level information of listeners.
Spotify said it identified and disabled accounts linked to the alleged activity and implemented additional safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Spotify’s official response
In an official statement, Spotify said it has:
- Disabled accounts involved in unlawful scraping
- Strengthened monitoring systems to detect suspicious activity
- Implemented safeguards against copyright abuse
Spotify also said it does not believe its full catalog has been publicly leaked and continues to monitor the situation closely. The company reiterated its commitment to protecting artists’ rights and working with industry partners.
Industry concerns and AI risks
The claims have heightened concerns within the music industry, particularly around the potential misuse of scraped music data for AI training. Artists and labels fear that large datasets combining audio files and metadata could be used to train generative AI models without consent, potentially impacting royalties, intellectual property rights, and creative control.
Metadata plays a crucial role in organizing and analyzing music at scale, making such datasets especially valuable for machine learning applications.
Key FAQs
Has Spotify confirmed a data leak?
No. Spotify says it does not believe the full catalog has been released publicly.
Were listener accounts or personal data affected?
No. Spotify says user data and personal information were not compromised.
Is the data currently available online?
As of now, Spotify says it has not seen evidence of a full public release and continues to monitor for any distribution.
Disclaimer
This article is based on publicly available claims and official statements. Allegations made by third parties have not been independently verified. The information provided is for general awareness only and should not be interpreted as legal, cybersecurity, or investment advice.
