Why Spotify is apologizing to its users
The chief executive of popular music-streaming giant Spotify apologized in a statement Friday for a new privacy policy that has left users angry and has even caused some to leave.
The updated terms of service 鈥� 鈥� stated the company would begin to access data on users鈥� phones including pictures, contacts鈥� phone numbers, and location.
In addition to saying that users would be responsible for obtaining the permission of their phone contacts to share their information, Spotify said it would also be able to start viewing any public activity on social media accounts linked by the user, though this can easily be changed under the preferences tab.
Still, it didn鈥檛 take long for the new policy to stoke controversy among users, who in total form a base of , according to the company鈥檚 website.
Many call the move an unnecessary intrusion on privacy, with some characterizing it as and
One particularly vocal opponent was Minecraft creator Markus Persson, who announced on Twitter on Friday that he had canceled his account. 鈥淪potify confirmed evil,鈥� he to his 2.4 million followers.
Before confirming he had left the service, Mr. Persson also appealed to the Swedish tech firm directly, saying: 鈥淎s a consumer, I've always loved your service. You're the reason I stopped pirating music. Please consider not being evil.鈥�
In an initial report Thursday, Wired reporter Gordon Gottsegen compared the company to
鈥淲hat kind of media files Spotify will collect from you is vague, and why the company needs it is unclear, but it鈥檚 doing it regardless,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淎lso, 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 鈥� what鈥檚 the word? Oh yes: it鈥檚 ridiculous.鈥�
CEO Daniel Ek took to the company鈥檚 blog Friday to address the outcry, apologizing for the confusion surrounding its policy and vowing to be more transparent about its data collection.
鈥淲e have heard your concerns loud and clear,鈥� wrote Mr. Ek in a post entitled
Ek clarified that the new terms were meant only to 鈥渃ustomize your Spotify experience.鈥� He wrote that location data would be primarily used to 鈥渉elp personalize recommendations or to keep you up to date about music trending in your area.鈥�
鈥淎nd if you choose to share location information but later change your mind, you will always have the ability to stop sharing,鈥� he emphasized.
The reasons for photo access? To allow users 鈥渢o create personalized cover art for a playlist or to change your profile image,鈥� he added. "We will never scan or import your photo library or camera roll."
Above all, the chief executive said, 鈥淲e understand people鈥檚 concerns about their personal information and are 100 percent committed to protecting our users鈥� privacy and ensuring that you have control over the information you share.鈥�
In the coming weeks, Spotify will update its policy with the new clarifications, said Ek.聽
