A new website, "Panama Playlists," has emerged, claiming to have scraped and compiled the public music listening data of numerous prominent figures, including politicians, celebrities, and journalists. The site, which quietly launched recently, purports to offer a voyeuristic glimpse into the alleged playlists and listening habits of the powerful. The anonymous creator of the site stated, "We’ve been scraping their accounts since summer 2024. Playlists, live listening feed, everything."
The website draws a parallel to the infamous "Panama Papers," humorously stating, "Heard of the Panama Papers? That exposed offshore bank accounts. This is about onshore vibes." The site's creator emphasizes that only publicly available information has been collected. The initiative has sparked considerable online discussion, with one social media user remarking, "pretty clever someone who claims to have scraped public listening data from a number of public figures — politicians, celebrities, journalists — spun up their alleged playlists and made it into a site."
Among the public figures featured on the site are Senator JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Alleged playlists reveal diverse musical tastes, from Vance's "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star to Bondi's supposed enjoyment of Nelly's "Hot in Herre." Karoline Leavitt's profile notably includes a "Baby Shower" playlist, created shortly before the birth of her child, which the site owner highlighted as an example of accuracy.
While some individuals, like journalist Joanna Stern, have confirmed the accuracy of their listed data, others, such as Kara Swisher, reported inaccuracies, suggesting potential issues with shared accounts. The site's method involves identifying public Spotify profiles, which can be easily found if users signed up with their names or linked social media accounts. This raises questions about the definition of "public" data and user privacy expectations on streaming platforms.
Spotify has responded to the development, stating that any scraping of public playlists through a Spotify account violates the company's Terms of Use. This highlights the ongoing tension between data accessibility, user privacy, and platform policies. The "Panama Playlists" site serves as a fresh reminder of the digital footprints left by public figures and the often-unintended revelations that can arise from publicly shared online activities.