A Ukrainian appealed to Spotify, asking to remove Russian songs from recommendations: he gave three pieces of advice

While Ukrainians are trying to abstract themselves from the Russian cultural space, the music streaming platform Spotify recommends songs from the terrorist country. The problem is that the algorithms do not adapt to listeners, and it is impossible to change the recommendations to suit your own preferences by removing songs you do not like from the playlists.

That's why a Ukrainian with the nickname oleks_ukr appealed to Spotify support to customize the recommendations so that they hide Russian songs for the Ukrainian audience. In the request, the user indicated that tracks from the aggressor country appear even for those who have never listened to anything similar.

"Many Ukrainian Spotify users have reported that the platform's algorithm often recommends Russian content. This includes users who have not previously interacted with such content or actively avoided it. For many, the Russian language has become associated with the suffering caused by Russians. Consequently, encountering Russian content on a platform designed for entertainment and recreation can be disturbing," the user described the reason for the appeal.

In order for the streaming company to pay attention to the request as soon as possible and adjust the algorithms correctly, oleks_ukr offered its own solutions and features that can be added to Spotify.

1. Allow users to opt out of a particular region and language of songs.
2. Improve the recommendation algorithm to make it "more sensitive to the geopolitical context."
3. Create an integrated user feedback mechanism to "understand and adapt to individual preferences."

"My request is not to limit cultural exchange but to create a safe and respectful listening environment for all your users, respecting their emotional and cultural context," the Ukrainian wrote.

This request resonated with a large number of Spotify users. More than 1640 people have already responded positively to it, and more than 450 have left a supportive comment.

Earlier, the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov called on the most popular streaming platforms to block Russian artists. However, it seems that his appeal was ignored as many tracks by the aggressor country's singers can be found not only in personalized recommendations but also in trends.

"The so-called artists of the aggressor state openly endorse the war and finance the Russian army every day. Some simply pay taxes to the Russian budget, others openly donate. All of this is converted into missiles that fly at Ukrainian cities and kill civilians. Deezer, Apple, Youtube Music and Spotify should block all Russian artists. This will be the only right and fair step," Fedorov wrote.

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