Spotify: ‘Do it like Facebook’ to get through the content control crisis

By Abram Brown

In 2018, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the following statement – which he later regretted – in defense of his platform’s relaxed approach to content control.

“What we’re going to say is, ‘Nice, you have your page; if you’re not trying to hurt or attack someone, then you can upload this content, even if other users disagree with it or find it offensive,” he said. in Recode’s Kara Swisher.

Responding to criticism from Spotify over its also lax approach to content control, platform CEO Daniel Ek commented Sunday in a post posted on the company’s website:

“There are a lot of people and opinions on Spotify with whom I strongly disagree. We are aware that we play an important role in supporting the expression of creators, while ensuring the safety of users. In this role, I consider it important not to take on censorship duties.”

As you can see, Ek and Zuckerberg said almost the same thing: We do not want to police content on our sites – it would be censorship; and censorship is wrong. Ek hopes that by using the relevant chapter from the Facebook “manual” he will overcome the crisis caused by podcast star Joe Rogan. Eventually, however, Ek can find himself in the same predicament as Zuckerberg found himself in 2018: winner and loser, together.

The “headache” for Ek began last week, when rock star Neil Young threatened to withdraw his music from Spotify if the streaming app did not take action against Rogan, who has been promoting his show for the past few months. “The Joe Rogan Experience” used ivermectin, an unapproved coronavirus treatment, and interviewed vaccine deniers. Spotify did not respond and Young withdrew his song list from the platform. singer Joni Mitchell, in protest of Rogan.

The decision of the two artists to “download” their songs came just two weeks after at least 200 teachers and health experts called on Spotify to more effectively manage covid-19 misinformation. The scientists’ open letter focused on a podcast by Rogan, which hosted infectious disease specialist Dr. Robert Malone, and where “a lot of false information about coronavirus vaccines” was spread. On Sunday, the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, spoke out against Spotify and Rogan, writing on Twitter:

“@NeilYoungNYA, thank you for resisting the misinformation and inaccuracies about # COVID19 vaccination. Public and private sectors, especially #socialmedia platforms, media, citizens – we all have a role to play in trying to end all and the pandemic of misinformation.

.@NeilYoungNYAthanks for standing up against misinformation and inaccuracies around # COVID19 vaccination.
Public and private sector, in particular #socialmedia platforms, media, individuals – we all have a role to play to end this pandemic and infodemic.https: //t.co/kcFyIZQF7T

– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 27, 2022

So Spotify is in the same position as Facebook a few years ago, when it was called upon to face public criticism for content that allowed it to be uploaded to its platform. This is the first time Spotify has come under the microscope for this issue; had to exist – on the platform.

Facebook and Spotify understood the risks and consequences of their actions. Zuckerberg’s platform fully understood the real-world consequences of a user uploading malicious content – as evidenced by the company’s internal documents released by an informant last year – but at the same time realized that deleting content would remove them. users and would greatly cancel Facebook’s core commitment. For its part, Spotify agreed with Rogan for the exclusive broadcast of its podcasts in May 2020, at the height of the first pandemic wave. Rogan has been on the air for 10 years now; the provocative tone of his “performances” was unquestionable. After all, Rogan is shouting. Of course Spotify knew this, and Rogan’s provocative style brought his show to No. 1 on the platform’s podcast charts in 17 markets. (Even though Spotify was convinced that Rogan was not who we knew, he himself somehow convinced himself that Rogan was someone else, he had taken care to remind him of it on the platform in October, hosting him conspiracy theorist Alex Jones – who was banned by Spotify).

So if Spotify wants to emulate Facebook, what happens next? For a long time after 2016, Facebook did not change its attitude towards content control. He did not start downloading material. Until he succumbed to the pressures – to some extent. In recent years, he has stepped up content control, most notably the “ban” he threw at President Trump: Another example: Facebook no longer allows Holocaust denial.

Facebook’s defense worked. Its share price is close to record levels – even after last year’s revelations for whistleblowers – and the company’s capitalization “reaches” 1 trillion. dollars. In that sense, it is possible Zuckerberg won.

Speaking like Zuckerberg’s echo, Ek seems to want to follow the same practice: “let the critics scream, we focus on the shares”. It remains to be seen if Spotify investors can look just as patient as Facebook. Last week, Spotify shares fell 7.3%, while the Nasdaq followed the opposite course, with a “jump” of 2.5% – an indication that Spotify shareholders may be less tolerant than those of Facebook.

But even if the situation is tolerated and Ek pulls the company out of this adventure unscathed and he remains CEO, the Swedish billionaire should keep in mind that this story has left “wounds” on Zuckerberg. His company is facing the prospect of new regulatory legislation, while a Federal Trade Commission is seriously considering suing it for antitrust practices.

Probably the most convincing proof that Zuckerberg’s tactics did not work out is the renaming of his company. From Facebook – the name given to her when she was at Harvard – to Meta Platforms Inc. last year, leaving a brand name that had been tarnished by the discussion about the content of its platform. A discussion like the one now taking place about Rogan.

Read also:

* Spotify: Takes action after allegations of misinformation about coronavirus

* Daniel Ek wants to turn Spotify into “Instagram of audio” – and he knows how