From CNET: Spotify says it's cutting off access to some user accounts and adding safeguards after a shadow library website claimed to have scraped an immense amount of Spotify's metadata and audio files from the streaming service's music library.
On Dec. 20, the website Anna's Archive said in a blog post that it was distributing 300 terabytes' worth of data from 256 million music tracks it scraped from Spotify. It has released 86 million music files -- "representing around 99.6% of listens" -- with a focus on the most popular tracks. The blog post called it a preservation effort and said it was considering allowing the downloading of individual files in the future. The post also called for donations to Anna's Archive.
Spotify responded, saying it's been investigating the scraping and is taking action against Anna's Archive. "Spotify has identified and disabled the nefarious user accounts that engaged in unlawful scraping," a spokesperson told CNET in an email.
"We've implemented new safeguards for these types of anti-copyright attacks and are actively monitoring for suspicious behavior. Since day one, we have stood with the artist community against piracy, and we are actively working with our industry partners to protect creators and defend their rights," the spokesperson said.
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