Spotify unveiled a new policy that lets the music-streaming service ban or bury music or artists it judges to be “hateful,” with R. Kelly reportedly the first high-profile name affected. 

Thursday, Spotify published a new policy about hate content and hateful conduct, which is summarized as giving the company the right to completely remove or abstain from promoting or playlisting any music that “expressly and principally promotes, advocates, or incites hatred or violence against a group or individual.” 

Artist R. Kelly may be the first high-profile artist impacted. The R&B star, who has faced heightened criticism lately for longstanding claims he abuses young women, won’t have any music included in Spotify‘s playlists any longer, according to a Billboard report. 

Spotify didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment, nor did R. Kelly’s publicist. Kelly has long rejected claims of abuse.

It touches on a dilemma that tech/media giants broadly are grappling with: how to act as an arbiter of values while balancing free speech versus censorship. YouTube and Facebook have struggled to walk the line — keeping offensive content from thriving on their gigantic platforms without censoring legitimate speech. Facebook in particular long resisting the idea of “policing” values.

Spotify, with its latest move, is planting a flag in the ground that it isn’t afraid to play cop. 

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