Spotify’s CEO Says “New Efforts To Fight Misinformation” Will Be Rolling Into The Next Few Days
San Francisco:
Music streaming giant Spotify announced on Sunday that it will begin guiding podcast listeners discussing Covid-19 for more information on the pandemic, following an incident that saw artist Neil Young removed his music from the platform.
The move comes after the artists, led by Neil Youngearlier this week, asking the streaming service to remove their music or drop podcaster Joe Rogan after a call from medical experts to stop Rogan from promoting “some misleading information about a Covid-19 vaccine.”
The The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also flagged concerns about misinformation on Spotify’s platform, but reiterates its commitment to continue using it to publish their content.
“We’re working to add content advice to any podcast episodes that discuss Covid-19,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in a statement.
This advice directs listeners to our dedicated Covid-19 Hub, a resource that provides easy access to data-driven facts, updates shared by industry scientists, doctors, academics and public health authorities around the world, says Ek.
“New efforts to combat misinformation” will be rolled out over the next few days, he added.
Rogan, 54, has discouraged vaccination in young people and encouraged the use of the over-the-counter antiparasitic drug ivermectin to treat the virus.
$100 million deal
The podcaster, who had a $100 million (€90 million) multi-year exclusive contract with Spotify, was kept and Spotify complied with Young’s request and began removing his catalog of songs.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have raised concerns about misinformation on the platform, but said they are “committed to continuing” their lucrative content deal despite “concerns”.
A spokesperson for Archewell, the Duke and Duchess’s organization, said: “We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform help address it. this public health crisis”.
“We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing to work together as we do now.”
‘Regret’
Spotify said it “regrets” Young’s move, but cited the need to balance “both listener safety and freedom for creators”.
Spotify’s move has drawn online acclaim from organizations including video streaming platform Rumble, the Swedish company credited the Swedish company with “defending creators” and “supporting uphold the right to freedom of speech”.
But Young, 76, has also received praise for taking a stand, including from the head of the World Health Organization.
The musician also urged fellow artists to follow his lead, and calls for boycotts and unsubscribes have blossomed on social media.
“Based on feedback over the past few weeks, it’s clear to me that we have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to generally accepted information from the medical and scientific communities.” learning to guide us through this unprecedented time,” Ek said.
Additionally, Ek said the company will publish “Platform Rules,” which include guidelines for creators about what Spotify labels “dangerous” and “deceptive” content.
In recent years, online media giants including Facebook and YouTube have been criticized for allowing conspiracy theorists to spread their views.
But despite its explosive growth, podcasting has largely remained under radar.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
