Stalkers are increasingly using the music streaming service Spotify to upload distressing content about their victims, access their accounts remotely, and attempt to communicate with them through playlists and song titles. According to reports based on Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, at least 159 cases of stalking and harassment linked to Spotify were recorded between 2022 and June 2026, with the number of cases rising each year up to 2025. One victim, a woman, described how her ex-partner created an album of songs about her and used her face as the album cover as part of a campaign that included sending numerous social media messages, handwritten letters, and even showing up unannounced at her home. Victims also told police that stalkers had accessed their Spotify accounts remotely to change the music they were listening to, sometimes playing love songs or "derogatory music" to cause emotional distress. Some perpetrators have even hacked into accounts and used Spotify’s internal messaging service to contact victims who had blocked them on other platforms. Experts warn that such cases are often underreported and that abusers are increasingly using technology to stalk, harass, and control victims in digital spaces that were not designed for such purposes. Spotify has stated that it takes harassment and online abuse seriously and offers tools that allow users to block abusers and secure their accounts. Emma Pickering, head of the tech-facilitated abuse team at the domestic abuse charity Refuge, noted that stalking and harassment are "incredibly common tactics" used by perpetrators of domestic abuse to exert control. She added that the charity is seeing these offenses evolve as abusers take advantage of new technologies, such as smart speakers and app-based messaging, to harass victims. For example, some perpetrators have remotely connected to victims' smart speakers to play specific songs or used Spotify’s chat function to send harassing messages. A recent report by the charity Refuge, in collaboration with End Violence Against Women (EVAW), found that one in five women in the UK has experienced online harms that suggest stalking, monitoring, harassment, or coercive control. The report, based on responses from 2,000 women, highlights that harassment, abuse, and exposure to misogynistic content are now "widespread and deeply embedded" in women’s online experiences. Among women who reported experiencing online violence against women and girls (VAWG), 20 percent said it was perpetrated by a former partner, with the figure rising to 25 percent for those aged 16 to 24. The charity emphasized that online VAWG can be part of post-separation abuse, with perpetrators using digital spaces to continue harassing, abusing, and controlling victims even after a relationship ends. Spotify stated that its platform rules prohibit abusive and harassing behavior and that it takes action against violations when reported. The company said users can block unwanted interactions both within messages and more broadly on the app. A government spokesperson called the scale of online abuse "totally unacceptable" and noted that the UK is taking "some of the boldest actions in the world" to protect women online. The government emphasized that platforms have a legal duty to remove illegal content and that Ofcom, the communications regulator, has full support to take strong action against platforms that fail to comply. The government also requires that non-consensual intimate images be removed within 48 hours of being reported, with some cases leading to senior executives facing liability. The spokesperson added that tech companies must use their tools to protect women or risk being complicit in normalizing abuse against women and girls online. They stressed that more work remains to be done to ensure the UK has the "gold standard" of online spaces—safe, empowering, and thriving.