A group known as Anna’s Archive has claimed responsibility for a large-scale unauthorized scraping operation involving content available on Spotify. According to statements published by the group, automated tools and multiple user accounts were used over an extended period to collect large volumes of metadata and a portion of audio files accessible through the platform.
Spotify has confirmed that it is investigating the activity and has clarified that the incident did not involve a breach of its internal systems, databases, or infrastructure. The company stated that no user personal data, including passwords or payment information, was compromised. Instead, Spotify described the activity as unauthorized scraping carried out through the misuse of accounts and attempts to bypass platform protections.
The group behind the operation claims to have gathered extensive metadata, including track identifiers and technical information, and has indicated that parts of this data are already being distributed through peer-to-peer networks. However, claims regarding the total size of the archive, the number of audio files collected, and the percentage of Spotify’s catalog or listening activity involved have not been independently verified and are based solely on statements made by the group itself.
Spotify has reported that it has disabled the accounts involved in the scraping activity and implemented additional security measures while continuing its internal investigation. At this stage, there is no official confirmation that the full audio archive described by the group has been publicly released.
The case highlights the ongoing challenges faced by digital streaming platforms in preventing large-scale automated extraction and redistribution of copyrighted material. As scraping tools and automation techniques continue to evolve, incidents like this underline the difficulty of balancing open access to digital services with the protection of intellectual property in the streaming era.
