After days of controversy stemming from Spotify’s handling of allegations that Joe Rogan used the platform to spread disinformation about COVID-19, the company said on Sunday that it will take steps to A new way to point users to accurate information about the pandemic. In one In the words of CEO Daniel Ek, the company admitted it wasn’t transparent enough about its content policy, but stopped short of detailing any specific actions against Rogan.
There has been a lot of talk about COVID-19 related information on Spotify. We’ve heard the criticism, and we’re making changes to help combat misinformation. https://t.co/ic8jfR1RNR
– Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) January 30, 2022
Sometime over the next few days, Spotify says it will add a content advisory to any podcast episode that discusses COVID-19. That advice will direct listeners to the company . In its current iteration, this page includes links to podcasts from BBC, ABC News and Foreign Policy. “To our knowledge, this content advice is the first of its kind by a major podcast platform,” according to Ek. However, social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have also adopted similar measures.
Spotify has also committed to publicly sharing its content guidelines. Starting today, you can read them through the company’s Newsroom . In the future, they will also be accessible through Spotify’s main website, and the company has promised to translate them into various languages. Finally, the company says it plans to begin testing ways to highlight its content guidelines in the tools it makes available to podcast producers and other creators.
“We know we have an important role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing it with user safety,” says Ek. “In that role, it’s important to me that we don’t take the position of moderating content while at the same time ensuring that there are rules in place and consequences for those who break them.”
Action comes after the musician and pulled their music from the streaming platform to protest their handling of Rogan’s podcast and broader misinformation. Soon, the author said she won’t be releasing any new episodes of her Spotify-exclusive podcast “until further notice.”
After Young first withdrew its catalog from the platform, the company protected its profile against misinformation by claiming that it had removed 20,000 COVID-related episodes since the start of the pandemic. . However, as part of that sweep, Spotify doesn’t appear to have removed any episodes of Joe Rogan Experience. For example, you can still hear the controversial passage in which Dr. Robert Malone falsely claimed “mass-forming psychosis” led people to believe that vaccines are effective against COVID-19. afterward company publishing . In an internal memo, Spotify said Rogan’s content did not “meet the threshold for removal.”
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