“It doesn’t seem to meaningfully change how many people consume content, in fact, in certain demographics it increases the number of people who consume it, because adding an advisory to content makes it edgier it makes it more interesting. That mirrors actions taken by Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, which have added links to their respective information hubs in labeled content.ĭespite widespread use among tech companies, labels and links to information hubs haven’t been proven to actually curb misinformation, said Emerson Brooking, a resident senior fellow at the Digital Forensic Research Lab. Spotify did not specifically name Rogan, but in his statement Ek said the company would begin adding content advisories to any podcast episode that “includes a discussion about COVID-19” and link listeners to a “hub” with “data-driven facts” and “up-to-date information.” Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who also produce and host podcasts on Spotify, expressed concerns about COVID-19 misinformation to the company.Īnd author Brené Brown said she would not be releasing any podcasts “until further notice.” Others followed, with Joni Mitchell saying she, too, would be pulling her music from Spotify. Ultimately, he followed through removing his catalog of music from the platform after it sided with Rogan. The backlash snowballed after musician Neil Young threatened to pull his music from Spotify if they continued to host Rogan. His episode hosting Robert Malone, a medical doctor suspended from Twitter for posting false information about the coronavirus, in particular sparked an open letter to Spotify from doctors and health care professionals urging it to “take action against the mass-misinformation events which continue to occur on its platform.” Rogan has repeatedly made comments on his podcast questioning the efficacy and necessity of COVID-19 vaccines - and hosted guests who’ve done the same. And as his exclusive distributor, having paid $100 million dollars, Spotify bears some direct responsibility for that,” Sinnreich added.Ī spokesperson for Spotify did not respond to a request for comment in response to the criticism. “And so there’s a real direct causal line between the kind of content that Rogan puts on his podcast and the continuing toll of COVID-related deaths in the American public. “This is a massive public health challenge, and part of the reason that infection rates remain so high is because of the volume of disinformation out there - promoting false cures, undermining confidence in vaccines, undermining confidence about masks and so forth,” said Aram Sinnreich, chair of communications studies at American University. Unlike on platforms owned by Meta, including Facebook and Instagram, there are barriers to entry for content creators to appear on Spotify, which Grygiel says undermines its attempt to use the same defense as social media sites that let any user create an account and post content for free.Ĭritics say Spotify’s position is especially weak on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which it bought the exclusive rights to host in a deal reported to be worth more than $100 million. “In that role, it is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.”īut the streaming service’s business model is entirely different from the social media company’s, Grygiel said. “We know we have a critical role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing it with the safety of our users,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said in a statement Sunday. Spotify is using what Syracuse University associate professor Jennifer Grygiel called the “Facebook playbook” - distancing itself from the responsibility to moderate content it distributes. It’s not enough - it’s basically meaningless,” said Bridget Todd, director of communications at UltraViolet. “It’s nice to welcome Spotify to the table, but unless they come up with a policy that also has a clear enforcement mechanism for when somebody repeatedly breaks that policy. The streaming service’s decision not to remove “The Joe Rogan Experience” in the wake of false and misleading claims places it in the middle of a moderation battle that social media giants have been fighting for years. Spotify’s response to COVID-19 misinformation on Joe Rogan’s highly popular podcast has critics singing a familiar tune: Simply warning users about problematic content is not enough.
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