Read on PBS NewsProfiting From Hate Music: Social Media Platforms and the Spread of Hindutva Pop in India
A new report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) reveals the first comprehensive mapping of hate music across India's digital landscape, documenting 523 songs that promote hatred, dehumanization, and violence against religious minorities. Despite explicit platform policies against hate speech, the report finds that over 90% of flagged content remains online, often monetized through advertising and creator reward systems. This article examines the findings, the role of major platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Meta, and the broader implications for content moderation and accountability in India's rapidly evolving digital ecosystem.
A new report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), titled "Profiting From Hate Music," provides what researchers describe as the first comprehensive mapping of hate music across India's digital landscape. The report identifies 523 songs that promote hatred, dehumanization, conspiracy theories, or violence against religious minorities, primarily Muslims and Christians, in violation of the content policies of major platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Meta.
To test how platforms enforced their rules against hateful or violent content, researchers reported a sample of 225 songs using the companies' own moderation systems. Only 18 were removed, meaning more than 90% of flagged songs stayed online. Many of these songs contain direct threats of violence or explicit incitement against religious minorities. On YouTube alone, the videos documented in the report have collectively attracted more than 198 million views. On Meta's Music Library, the same tracks have been incorporated into more than 5.9 million Instagram Reels.
Nearly half of the songs analyzed contained direct threats of violence or explicit incitement, with a large number hosted by YouTube. The report also found that YouTube channels carrying hate songs displayed verified badges, and some even received the platform's Silver Creator Award, given to channels that pass 100,000 subscribers. More than half of the hate-song videos identified had YouTube's "Super Thanks" feature enabled, allowing viewers to financially support creators directly. Advertisements from 103 brands appeared alongside hate-music videos, including ads for ChatGPT, Amazon Prime, Adobe, Dell, Levi's, and Kellogg's.
The findings raise serious questions about platform accountability, particularly in India, which lacks a comparable regulatory framework to the European Union's Digital Services Act. As the report warns, without meaningful action, Hindutva pop will continue to spread at scale, reaching millions of listeners while the platforms that host and profit from it face little accountability.
