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Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020

Do Spotify’s terms of use give it broad leeway to decide what content it offers?

Esther Tsvayg, Gigafact
yes

Spotify, known for music-streaming services, describes itself as "an open platform for artistic expression" but reserves the right to remove anything that "promotes, advocates, or incites hatred or violence." Its terms also state it may remove user-uploaded content for "any or no reason."

In 2018, Spotify removed R. Kelly's music from official playlists following controversy over alleged sexual assaults by the singer. His music remained available for streaming. Spotify then changed its policy, stating that its "role is not to regulate artists."

Archived episodes of Joe Rogan's podcast featuring controversial guests have not been available since the show's move to Spotify. Spotify has not commented. Some Spotify employees are reported to be demanding further oversight of the podcast, including the removal of some episodes about transgender issues.

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