British Spotify subscribers are threatening mutiny over a particularly dystopian requirement by the British government, and Spotify’s caught in the crosshairs.

To bring itself into compliance with the British government’s Online Safety Act, which requires digital companies to verify users’ ages before allowing them to access “adult” content, Spotify has introduced facial scans to its user base in the UK.

They’ve partnered with Yoti, a firm that specializes in software using AI to determine someone’s age based on a visual scan of their face. And yeah, it’s creepy.

The machines are looking at you, again

“You may be presented with an age check when you try to access certain age-restricted content, like music videos tagged 18+,” reads a page by Spotify aimed at the international market.

People are referring to it as facial recognition, like the kind on your iPhone’s Face ID, but it’s not facial recognition; instead, it’s facial estimation. The software is only estimating your age based on your facial features, not matching your face to your identity from some database.

“We only use your photo to estimate your age, and it is encrypted to help keep it secure,” Spotify says. “After the age check is complete, Yoti will delete all users’ data. Spotify will use the results of the process to improve our ability to provide an age-appropriate experience to all of our users.”

If Yoti thinks you’re too young but you aren’t, you can correct it with an ID verification. I still think it’s bulls**t. There are many people who appear younger than their actual ages, especially those on the cusp of their 18th birthdays.

And what’s with “Spotify will use the results of the process to improve our ability…”? I’m skeeved out by that, and frankly, you should be, too. Many aspects of life in the 21st century have an aftertaste of Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Still, a music program scanning your face before you can access it, even just the “adult” content (and who are they to judge what’s adult?), is just too dystopian and creepy.

Updated August 5, 2025: We’re adding more information on who will be required to submit a face scan. A Spotify spokesperson released the statement that “We are not requiring face scans from all users. Select users who may be misrepresenting their age will receive the age assurance check. For example, if a user provided a date of birth at sign up that makes them 15, but changed it to make their age 16+ in order to access a certain feature.

“Age verification is not related to explicit content. Users are only prompted when they attempt to watch a music video that has been labelled 18+ by the rightsholder. If they choose not to complete the age check or fail it, we will restrict their access to those music videos. But they will still be able to access the rest of the Spotify service provided they meet our minimum age requirements for that market.”