Spotify says piracy activists hacked its music catalogue

Spotify said on Monday it had disabled a number of accounts linked to a piracy activist hacker group that claimed to have copied vast amounts of music and data from the streaming platform, though the company stressed that the incident had no impact on users.

The group, known as Anna’s Archives, said in a blog post that it had “backed up” around 86 million Spotify music tracks along with metadata for approximately 256 million tracks. The process, commonly referred to as “scraping,” involves automatically extracting large volumes of data from online platforms. According to the group, the music files it copied account for more than 99.6 percent of all Spotify “listens,” while the metadata allegedly covers about 99.9 percent of tracks available on the service.

Anna’s Archives said the aim of the operation was to create an open “preservation archive” for music, arguing that it was acting in the public interest to safeguard cultural content. However, the group acknowledged that while the data could theoretically be used to create a free alternative music archive, any such effort would almost certainly face swift legal action from copyright holders.

Spotify rejected the group’s actions, describing them as unlawful. In a statement sent to AFP, the company said it had “identified and disabled the nefarious user accounts that engaged in unlawful scraping.” Spotify added that it had introduced new safeguards to prevent similar incidents and was actively monitoring its systems for suspicious activity.

The streaming giant emphasized that the breach did not compromise user data or affect the listening experience of its subscribers. It also underlined its longstanding opposition to piracy and its commitment to protecting the rights of artists and creators.

“Since day one, we have stood with the artist community against piracy,” Spotify said, adding that it continues to work closely with industry partners to defend intellectual property and ensure creators are fairly compensated for their work.

The incident highlights ongoing tensions between digital platforms, copyright enforcement, and activists who argue for broader access to cultural content. While large-scale scraping efforts raise concerns for rights holders and platforms alike, they also reflect persistent debates over ownership, preservation, and access in the digital age.