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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