Spotify’s podcast platform has unwittingly become a hub for stolen content and so they’ve announced that they are cracking down in the name of creators.

Recently Spotify’s podcasts have been at the centre of a controversy. Their huge library of podcasts has suddenly been invaded by copycats who have been stealing podcasts and then uploading them through the Spotify-owned Anchor.

Anchor’s co-founder and head of podcasts at Spotify, Mike Mignano, has confirmed that they’re cracking down on the issue. They are expanding their detection system for podcast uploads, adding new rules and measures for monetised podcasts when they’re uploaded, and have made it easier for creators to report other podcasts.

The issue has only arisen recently after fraudsters found a workaround that let them upload existing content and get it through Anchor’s current systems. Mignano says: “This is definitely a new type of attack for Anchor. We’re working right now to ensure that our copycat detection and creator outreach continues to improve to keep pace.”

He continues: “The good news is that so many creators are using Anchor, and that growth has been far more than I think we projected, which is great, but I think the downside in this case is that, with any rapidly growing platform, that has brought on some growing pains and we need to do a better job of anticipating things like this.”

It’s especially important for Spotify that a big issue with their podcasts do not arrive. The divergence from purely music streaming has been a huge success for them in growing and consolidating their user base.

Since focusing on podcasts they have nabbed top names like Joe Rogan and Michelle Obama for exclusive podcasts on their platform. They now seem to be looking to audiobooks as their next addition to expand their platform, seeing the success on becoming more than just a traditional streaming service.