Turkey launches investigation into Spotify over offensive playlists about First Lady Emine Erdogan
An official investigation has been launched in Turkey against the music streaming service Spotify after the appearance on the platform of playlists with satirical titles that make fun of the country’s first lady Emine Erdogan. About this informs The Times.
Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Batuhan Mumcu accused the company of spreading content that he said “insults Turkey’s religious and national values” and contradicts the faith of the Turkish people. Selections with titles such as “Hot girl Emine Erdogan’s playlist”, “Songs she was listening to when her golden faucet broke” or “…while cleaning the palace” caused particular outrage.
These names are allusions to the scandal surrounding the alleged presence of a golden toilet in the Turkish president’s residence, a rumor that the Erdogan family has repeatedly denied. The president himself previously stated that he would resign if the existence of a golden toilet in his apartment was proven.
Currently, the Antimonopoly Council of Turkey is studying the activities of Spotify not only from the point of view of ethics, but also within the framework of economic supervision: the investigators should find out whether the platform does not engage in unjustified promotion of certain artists and whether it distributes royalties fairly.
Against the background of the aggravation of the situation, the Spotify company, according to the Times sources, has threatened to completely leave the Turkish market. The company itself emphasizes that it is not ready to agree to censorship of content created by users, although it is trying to conduct a dialogue with the Turkish authorities.
