This morning, music-streaming service Spotify announced a new policy related to "hate content and hateful conduct". The policy reveals, in part, that "we do not permit hate content on Spotify, and remove it whenever we find it."

What does Spotify consider hate content?

Hate content is content that expressly and principally promotes, advocates, or incites hatred or violence against a group or individual based on characteristics, including, race, religion, gender identity, sex, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability.

The first artist to be affected by the new policy is R. Kelly. Spotify announced that, although Kelly's music will still be available for streaming on the service, it would be removing the R&B superstar's songs "from all Spotify owned and operated playlists and algorithmic recommendations such as Discover Weekly".

It's not the content of Kelly's lyrics that has earned him this dubious distinction, though. It's that his behaviour falls under the "hateful conduct" part of the new rules, per Spotify's official policy statement:

We don’t censor content because of an artist’s or creator’s behavior, but we want our editorial decisions - what we choose to program - to reflect our values. When an artist or creator does something that is especially harmful or hateful (for example, violence against children and sexual violence), it may affect the ways we work with or support that artist or creator.

Kelly's alleged sexual misconduct, usually involving underage girls, has been the topic of gossip—and litigation—for decades. In 1994, for example, the singer, then 27, illegally wed 15-year-old Aaliyah in a marriage that was later annulled. In 1998, Kelly reached an out-of-court settlement with a woman who alleged that he had sex with her when he was 24 and she was 15. In 2008, Kelly was tried in connection with a video tape that allegedly showed him having sex with, and urinating on, a minor. 

More recently, Kelly has been accused of running a "sex cult" and has been the subject of a boycott campaign by members of the Time's Up and #MeToo movements. 

In response to Spotify's move, Kelly's management team released the following statement to BuzzFeed News:

We appreciate Spotify for continuing to make R. Kelly’s songs accessible to millions of people, although it will stop listing his songs on its official playlists.

Spotify is adopting a new “Hate Content & Hateful Conduct” policy. R. Kelly never has been accused of hate, and the lyrics he writes express love and desire.

Mr. Kelly for 30 years has sung songs about his love and passion for women. He is innocent of the false and hurtful accusations in the ongoing smear campaign against him, waged by enemies seeking a payoff. He never has been convicted of a crime, nor does he have any pending criminal charges against him.

Spotify has the right to promote whatever music it chooses, and in this case its actions are without merit. It is acting based on false and unproven allegations. It is bowing to social-media fads and picking sides in a fame-seeking dispute over matters that have nothing to do with serving customers.

Meanwhile, though, Spotify promotes numerous other artists who are convicted felons, others who have been arrested on charges of domestic violence and artists who sing lyrics that are violent and anti-women in nature.

Mr. Kelly falls into none of these categories, and it is unfortunate and shortsighted that Spotify fails to recognize this.

Although Kelly is the first and most prominent target of the new policy, Spotify has also removed the rapper XXXTentacion—who is facing charges of domestic abuse in Florida—from its popular "Rap Caviar" playlist.

Despite Spotify's announcements, its own "This Is R. Kelly" playlist (see image above) remains online as of Thursday afternoon.

Based in Stokcholm, Sweden, Spotify has around 170 million users, with 75 million of them paying subscribers. Spotify Technology SA was founded in 2006, but the company only recently went public; its shares began trading last month on the New York Stock Exchange.