Megan Turner
Videos by OutKick
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek continues to address the backlash sparked when rocker Neil Young accused podcaster Joe Rogan of spreading COVID misinformation.
Ek announced a series of new measures the streaming service will be taking to address misinformation on the platform, including adding content advisories to any podcast episode discussing COVID-19.
Ek laid out the following steps the company is taking:
- “Today we are publishing our long-standing Platform Rules. These policies were developed by our internal team in concert with a number of outside experts and are updated regularly to reflect the changing safety landscape. These are rules of the road to guide all of our creators—from those we work with exclusively to those whose work is shared across multiple platforms. You can now find them on our newsroom, and they’ll live permanently on the main Spotify website. They are being localized into various languages to help our users understand how Spotify assesses all content on our platform.
- We are working to add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19. This advisory will direct listeners to our dedicated COVID-19 Hub, a resource that provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources. This new effort to combat misinformation will roll out to countries around the world in the coming days. To our knowledge, this content advisory is the first of its kind by a major podcast platform.
- We will also begin testing ways to highlight our Platform Rules in our creator and publisher tools to raise awareness around what’s acceptable and help creators understand their accountability for the content they post on our platform. This is in addition to the terms that creators and publishers agree to governing their use of our services.”
Rogan said in his video statement that he was supportive of Spotify’s decision to introduce content advisories. He also said he wanted to thank the streaming service for “being so supportive during this time” and lamented that it was “taking so much heat” over the issue.
Spotify Platform Rules can be read here. The streaming service says those who break the rules on their platform may have their content removed, and “repeated or egregious violations may result in accounts being suspended and/or terminated.”
The company said platform rules will help ensure that Spotify remains an open and safe platform for all.
Follow Meg Turner on Twitter @Megnturner_ and Instagram @Megnturner
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