Spotify Users Outraged by New Privacy Policy

Spotify users are outraged at changes to the company’s privacy policy, allowing the streaming music service to access photos, contacts, location, sensor data (about

Spotify users are outraged at changes to the company’s privacy policy, allowing the streaming music service to access photos, contacts, location, sensor data (about your movements) and other personal data from their mobile devices. The timing of the changes, announced earlier this week, comes on the heels of the disclosure of private data of Ashley Madison users.

Spotify Privacy Policy tweets

       Wired magazine takes a harsh stance against the policy in its August 20 article “You Can’t Do Squat about Spotify’s Eerie New Privacy Policy” by Gordon Gottsegen:

“Like a jealous ex, Spotify wants to see (and collect) your photos and see who you’re talking to. What kind of media files Spotify will collect from you is vague, and why the company needs it is unclear, but it’s doing it regardless. Also, the fact that Spotify expects you to go through your contact list and ask everyone for their consent in sharing their data with Spotify is – what’s the word? Oh yes: it’s ridiculous.”

Since the original “reveal” of the privacy policy, Spotify’s founder and CEO Daniel Ek has apologized for the confusion and upset the changes have caused. In a blog post titled “Sorry,” Ek explains:

“We are in the middle of rolling out new terms and conditions and privacy policy and they’ve caused a lot of confusion about what kind of information we access and what we do with it. We apologize for that. We should have done a better job in communicating what these policies mean and how any information you choose to share will – and will not – be used.

We understand people’s concerns about their personal information and are 100 percent committed to protecting our users’ privacy and ensuring that you have control over the information you share. So let me try and clear things up.

In our new privacy policy, we indicated that we may ask your permission to access new types of information, including photos, mobile device location, voice controls, and your contacts. Let me be crystal clear here: If you don’t want to share this kind of information, you don’t have to. We will ask for your express permission before accessing any of this data – and we will only use it for specific purposes that will allow you to customize your Spotify experience,” writes Ek.

Writers at The Verge think the situation is a bit overblown, though they too wish Spotify had been clear at the outset, especially in the wake of the Ashley Madison hacking fallout. While technology is changing, many of us still want to protect our privacy to a degree. We don’t want companies grabbing our data without our permission. We want to be asked.Insider Take:We agree with The Verge that there is a bit of an overreaction here, but subscription companies can learn something from this:

  1. Timing is everything. We can’t operate in a bubble. When rolling out substantive changes to any subscriber or user policies, terms and conditions, we need to look what’s going on in the world around us. Will outside forces have an impact on our timing – or should they?
  2. Be transparent. We understand the need for companies to change their policies from time to time, including privacy policies. The best way to handle this is to be transparent about such changes. Explain the reason for the changes, the options each subscriber has to opt in or out of those changes, and make a public announcement so there are no surprises.
  3. If you screw up, admit it. In this case, Spotify’s CEO jumped right in to apologize and to explain the changes. Of course, this whole mess could have been avoided had he done that at the outset, but he stepped up when he needed to.
  4. Keep your customer’s data private. The Ashley Madison hack is an extreme example of what can happen when user data is not adequately protected. As a result, we need to be hyperaware – and hypervigilant – that we protect our customer’s data, or face the consequences.

      

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